


ID:Invaded: Detective Narihisago vs John Walker

by mimidan



Category: Id:Invaded (Anime)
Genre: Action, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brutal Murder, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Crimes & Criminals, Detectives, Drama, Dreams and Nightmares, Episode Style, Family Fluff, Fate, Gen, Horror, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Manipulation, Mental Breakdown, Mind Games, Minor Original Character(s), Mizuhanome, Murder Mystery, Police, Psychological Warfare, Science Fiction, Serial Killers, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow beginning, Strategy & Tactics, Suspense, Tags May Change, Thriller, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 119,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23420695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimidan/pseuds/mimidan
Summary: What if Akihito Narihisago saved his daughter Muku in time? What if Narihisago dealt with John Walker as an officer instead of as a criminal?A Series Spinoff of the Season 1 AnimeMature Tag: Literally the only reason it has it is because of the violence from the serial killers. There is little to no swearing in this fanfiction. However, Narihisago might do some questionable things but it's canon to the anime so beware. Due to the nature of canon, please be aware that it could contain some sensitive content.
Relationships: Momoki Funetaro & Narihisago Akihito | Sakaido, Momoki Funetaro/Togo Sarina, Narihisago Akihito | Sakaido/Narihisago Ayako
Comments: 67
Kudos: 84





	1. The Challenger

File 1: The Challenger

  
_In the field around me, there was a sea of blood. Corpses piled high on top of each other, and their blood stained the ground below them. The skies growled as lightning strikes continually hit the ground. In the far distance, there was a little girl with her sleek black hair covering her face. She was wearing a white dress, which was stained with blood._

_I looked around at the dead bodies near me. Among them I noticed something familiar. A small pale figure laid next to another young woman. Her short hair covered her face, looking beaten up and blue. Blood trickled down her mouth and ears. Another woman beside her had longer hair than the small girl, with knife stabs all over her body._

_There was my wife Ayako and my daughter Muku, dead in front of me._

  
Akihito Narihisago woke up, sweating. 

His green eyes looked anxiously around the room. He sat up in the bed, scratching his rough pink hair with his hands. His wife Ayako was beside him still sleeping. The clock beside him ticked 6:30. He looked at the ceiling for a while, thinking about the nightmare he had. Ayako moved around, with her black sleek hair covering part of her face. She woke up to find her husband, Akihito, still staring blankly at the ceiling.

“What are you thinking about, Aki-kun?” she nudged. 

“Nothing Aya-chan. Just some nightmare I had last night.”

Akihito got up and went to the closet to get dressed up for work. There was going to be an emergency meeting today. The Challenger’s latest victim had made headline news again, prompting them to have another meeting on his tactics and suspects that might match with the current evidence being discovered at the scene of the crime. 

At the dining table, Muku was eating buttered toast for breakfast. Her short black hair hung in a short ponytail on the side of her head. Her dark blue eyes stared at the TV, where it was showing the daily fortune of the day. Akihito came in dressed with his suit and tie, which was in many shades of black and gray. 

“Today is Sunday, and we would like to tell you your daily fortune!”

The news reporter took out a box and pulled out a piece of paper.

“Oh my! Seems like today might seem a bit unlucky for those with someone they care about. If you save someone today, you could lose someone you love.”

“The TV lady is saying some dumb things again,” Muku said as she chomped on her toast. 

Akihito sat down at the table with some coffee and grabbed another piece of toast. Muku finished eating her toast and looked at her father excitedly. 

“Dad! Mom let me go see the fireworks with my friends today! So you can leave it to me so that I’ll come home just fine!”

“Being home alone?” Akihito glared at her. His nightmare of seeing her dead made him feel uncomfortable.

“Aki-kun, Muku would be fine. Are you worrying again?” said Ayako as she came from the kitchen corner dressed with an apron. She was making them some tamago and clear cut sandwiches for Muku’s bento when she left. 

“I’ll also be going out with my friends as well to shop for more clothes. Muku is getting taller and won’t be able to fit in her smaller clothes anymore.”

“M-Mom! I’m not that tall! I’m only 14!” Muku replied, clutching her fists into the air. Akihito chuckled a bit while he was drinking his coffee. 

The clock ticked 8:00. 

Akihito prepared his coat at the door and took his suitcase. His wife went to adjust his tie. It was time to go to work. 

“Hope you come back soon, Aki-kun. Everything will be fine.” Ayako said as she patted him on the back. Akihito blushed. 

“Hope so too. Make sure you two come back and wait for me! There is a serial killer on the loose.” Akihito said as he waved back at Muku at the dining table and Ayako at the doorway. The door flew open and the wind gushed towards his face. 

Akihito walked into a crowd of people on the streets. A couple cars on the road stopped at every signal as more people crossed. He looked around him as the crowds of people around him walked to cross the streets again. Deep down, he felt an uneasy ominous sensation. The lights turned red before Akihito realized and was stopped by an old lady behind him. 

“Are you alright, young man?” the old lady asked as she grabbed Akihito’s arm to prevent him from crossing the street filled with cars.

Akihito reacted immediately and quickly brushed his spiky pink hair back up with his hands, leaving a front bang on his face. He let out a halfhearted smile and thanked her. 

Immediately, a truck sped across the street from them, where another crowd of people were crossing the street. A mother and child were in the path of the speeding truck. Akihito’s first instinct was to save them before the truck hit them.

“Wait! What are you d-“

Akihito had ran out to the other side of the street and rushed past the crowds to grab the child from being hit. The mother was frantic and didn’t know what was going on. The truck sped past them and left the intersection, leaving tire tracks all over the streets. The danger had passed. 

“Thank you so much for saving my son!” the mother frantically thanked him and bowed. 

“No need, it’s fine,” Akihito replied as he got up and brushed off the dust all over him. Unfortunately, the uneasy feeling he had had not dissipated. 

He walked back into the crowds of people crossing the street again and walked to work. Akihito quickly rushed into the building, where the 1st Investigation Division team was having a meeting on the Challenger. His co-worker Funetaro Momoki was sitting near the front of the screen, with a seat next to him empty. He had short spiky black hair and was wearing his black suit and gray tie.

“Where have you been, Narihisago? You’re late,” Momoki whispered intently at Akihito. The meeting already started. 

Akihito quickly took his seat next to Momoki and opened his suitcase to take out some documents and a small notebook to write notes in. The speaker at the meeting was the 1st Investigation Division Chief, who was giving everyone the details and evidence left at the scene of the crime.

“So far, the evidence and clues at the crime has given us a chemical substance finish that came off boxing gloves,” the 1st Division Chief said, “With this, it demonstrates that the Challenger had used boxing gloves on this victim.”

The 1st Division Chief then took out a baton and asked someone on the computer to change the screen in front of them. The photographed boxing gloves were shown in front of them. 

“However, we noticed a slip hidden on the boxing gloves. It seems to have a message about the victim.”

A crusted paper slip was put on the screen next, with the barely deciphered words underneath. 

“V-Denshin.”

Everyone looked intently at the screen and its message. It seemed to be a code. Akihito wrote the code down in his notebook. Momoki was checking with his phone for any clues to the code. 

“So far we have deciphered one part of the code, which is Denshin. Here in Japan, there is a famous idiom ‘Ishin-Denshin’ that means interpersonal communication through mutual understanding. We still do not understand what the V on the code means just yet.” 

“Can’t V stand for the V hand sign that people do in photos?” Akihito asked as he raised his hand towards the 1st Division Chief. 

“That is a good answer, Narihisago-san. However, this case is not related to photography.”

“Seriously Narihisago, not everything can be solved with your photography knowledge,” Momoki snickered at Akihito while patting him on the back. The whole room slowly became filled with questions from the other detectives and investigators in the room. 

“What if the code was a name?” 

The 1st Division Chief was surprised at this question and went to ask the assistant nearby for more information. There was indeed someone named Denshin in Japan. 

“Then the V could mean a last name,” Momoki said, “Is there anything related to that?”

“But there isn’t a common last name that begins with the letter V.”

“But it’s not a full name like Denshin, it could probably symbolize something instead.”

“V stands for Victory,” Akihito muttered, “but there’s a lot of things that symbolize victory though,” 

The 1st Division Chief later asked the other detectives and investigators about any clues for a possible last name. So, they checked if there is a last name that that's victory in its meaning. There was. It was Katsuyama.

“Let’s check if there’s someone named Denshin Katsuyama in our prefecture.”

Indeed there was. There is now a suspect that can be the Challenger. 

“Denshin Katsuyama is believed to have lived inside an isolated mansion not too far from Fukui Prefecture. Are there any volunteers who would like to check out the house and question the suspect? If it is serious, we will give you a search warrant 48 hours after the search.”

Akihito quickly raises his hand. 

“I volunteer to go with Momoki-san,” Akihito said as he stood up towards the chief. Akihito and Momoki were sent to go to the suspect’s house with a small team to investigate and search. 

The clock ticked 10:00.

The duo arrived at the house, along with a few of the other investigation officers that were there from the meeting. They rushed to find the gate and across it laid an open mansion, isolated from the rest of the houses. 

Momoki went and pushed the speaker, waiting for a response. Strangely, no one came to the speaker to answer the door. Momoki quickly told the team to go in from the back.

While they looked around the house before going inside, Akihito began to feel an extremely horrid feeling overcome him. With the house’s silence and no one being home, it seemed as if the suspect could be hiding anywhere around them. The team then silently went inside the mansion, with its eerie silence echoing the chambers. Momoki then found a suspicious door and opened it. 

Downstairs, there was an arena. And an injured girl.

The girl’s face was bloody, making it hard to distinguish her face. Her hands were covered in blood, and she was wearing brass knuckles. Her roughened white dress was stained in blood, which gave off a ghastly feeling as if she was a ghost. As Momoki went to touch her and check to see if she was alright, Akihito suddenly became overcome with a heavy violent reaction, as if he got punched. He went to the corner of the room to vomit. 

“Narihisago, are you okay? You just vomited!” Momoki said as he rushed to Akihito’s side. The other team members were taking photos of the arena and looking around for other rooms. 

Akihito recovered a bit and sat down. He had an extremely intense feeling to go home. Something isn’t right. The overwhelming feeling of horror and safety rang sinister warning bells in his head. 

“Momoki, can I go home real quick?” 

“Why? We’re in the middle of an investigation.”

“This is important. Something here doesn’t feel right. If it was nothing, I’ll come back. Please trust me, Momoki.”

Momoki looked at Akihito in horror but seemed to understand. The eerie isolated house with no owner at home and the suspicious arena with the girl downstairs gave off ominous vibes. Akihito then went to take the black car.

“W-Wait, why are you taking the work car?”

“I’ll explain later! I’ll be back soon if everything is fine!” 

Akihito rushed inside the car and rushed towards his home, which was in an apartment building. 

The apartment building that Akihito and his family lived in always looked plain and barren looking, but it was his home. He took out his gun and snapped off the gun lock as he slowly went up the stairs. 

Room 314. His door had been left slightly ajar. 

Intense pain and horror shot through Akihito’s body. He slowly peeked through the crack, and saw a huge burly man inside his home beating up something. It was the Challenger. 

Quickly taking his phone out, Akihito called Momoki.

“Quick, I need backup at my apartment, Momoki!” Akihito muttered in frantic panic. 

“Who is at your home?”

“The Challenger. I’ll explain later.”

“Wai-…”

He shut off his phone at Momoki’s response and prepared to ambush the invader inside his home.

  
Akihito kicked the door open, with his gun ready in hand to shoot at the Challenger. But right as he was about to shoot, his gun was knocked out of his hand, followed with a punch to the face. Akihito fell to the floor and tasted blood in his mouth.

“Why is someone here? Shouldn’t there be no one home?”

Akihito felt dizzy as his vision blurred for a moment. A figure was laying on the floor at the Challenger’s feet. It was his daughter Muku, unconscious and covered in blood. 

He quickly rushed over to her side and checked for her pulse. She was still breathing. Akihito sighed in relief but the danger isn’t over yet. He checked her body and found one of her arms and legs broken. Taking off his tie, he quickly ripped out a makeshift splint on her arm and leg. 

“So what are you doing? Why aren’t you attacking me?” Akihito said as he looked at the Challenger standing in front of him.

“I can’t just attack someone helping their child in front of me, I can wait.”

He then slowly picked up Muku and went into a bedroom. He quickly covered her with a small blanket and then locked the door behind him. 

“Why would you do that? You can’t even get in yourself!” The Challenger remarked.

Akihito rubbed his mouth and face.

“I’ll be your new challenger now. I’ll fight you.”

They went into the living room, and Akihito went into the kitchen to get a knife. He still hadn't found his gun yet. 

The two of them stood across from each other, with Akihito near the balcony window while the Challenger was near the front door. 

“Guess I’ll attack first!”

The Challenger went full speed and punched Akihito in the stomach, causing him to splatter bits of blood on the floor. He coughed a bit before getting up. Holding his knife, he launched his weapon at his stomach. The knife ended up getting stuck. The Challenger quickly broke the knife tip with his fists and grabbed Akihito’s left arm.

Sudden immense pain shot through Akihito, his bones were starting to crack. 

“Not so strong are you, Police Officer-san?”

Akihito then noticed a huge TV stand beside him and the Challenger’s position. He moved on top of the Challenger and toppled him towards the TV. Shattered pieces of the TV fell all over the floor. Akihito’s pain level shot back up but he was in too much of a frenzy to feel the pain. He took out his broken arm from the Challenger’s grasp and went to grab a lamp nearby. 

“TAKE THIS!” Akihito yelled as he made a comeback with the lamp and hit the Challenger’s face. Just as he was about to make another direct attack, one of the Challenger’s fists smashed the lamp’s top frame, causing the shattered pieces to hit Akihito’s face. He grabbed one of Akihito’s legs and aggressively threw him towards the wall across the TV. 

Akihito woke up again, his head full of pain and mind numbing adrenaline. He touched his head and felt blood gushing out. The effects of blood loss would soon take a toll on him. The Challenger was across the room, about to throw another punch in the face. Through his bruised eyes, he ducked as the Challenger threw another punch and aggressively kicked him in the shin with his knee. He fell backwards and toward the ground. 

Akihito went towards the front door and took an umbrella from the pile. The Challenger lunged at him again, his fists ready to target his head. Akihito ducked and shot the umbrella tip towards his face, and ran him towards the balcony window. He fell to the ground, and Akihito stabbed one of his eyes with the umbrella tip. Blood gushed out from the Challenger’s face as he covered them with his hands.   


As the Challenger covered his face and screamed on the floor, Akihito found an opening to look for his gun again. Limping with his injured leg and a broken left arm, he walked towards the side of the bedroom and noticed a small black object near the end of the hall. It was his gun that the Challenger had knocked out of his hand earlier when he went in.

Taking his gun, he limped back from the bedroom hallway and back into the living room, where the Challenger rose back up. Akihito nonchalantly shot at his arms and his thighs to slow down his movement. Gunshot sounds were being heard nearby. 

As the Challenger’s movements slowed down from the gunshots, Akihito lunged the umbrella towards him again, this time opening the umbrella to create a shield charge. It pushed the Challenger towards the balcony window. The sound of glass broke through as the balcony laid wide open in front of them. The two bloodied men pushed each other on to the balcony, with Akihito using his umbrella to push the man down. The sheer amount of pain shot through Akihito as he started to feel dizzy again. The blood loss was starting to affect him again. 

Before he knew it, he heard a loud _thud_ in the distance and as he limped back from the balcony, he fell on the floor. Everything faded to black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this until the end. thank you very much. It's been 5 years since i wrote another fanfiction as i have attempted to make a AU series before and failed. 
> 
> I was inspired to create this fanfic AU series with some great people from the ID:Invaded Fan Server on Discord. This will be a series based on the anime because it has the same John Walker plot. However, there are some changes such as brand new cases and serial killer adjustments. The dynamics would also change because Akihito is still a police officer instead of as a criminal. The Mizuhanome will still be implemented and will show up later on in the story and Akihito will still become Sakaido. 
> 
> Please stay tuned for more!
> 
> Editor credits go to Akaido and Main Beta Reader Raido from Discord.


	2. Aftermath and Kiki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of the Challenger.

File 2: Aftermath and Kiki

In the aftermath of the Challenger incident, Momoki arrived with his backup team towards Akihito’s home in the apartment building. They arrived to discover the house a bloodbath, with many destroyed objects and equipment all over the place. Akihito and Muku were quickly found and taken to the hospital by the ambulance. The Challenger’s body was found discovered on the ground across the apartment building. Ayako had come back home to a frenzy of news reporters and duct tape around the housing unit, along with many tiring interviews about her family and the reason for the attack. Many said that if Muku had not survived, she would have become the 7th victim of the Challenger. The girl discovered at the arena from the Challenger’s mansion was taken to the hospital as well and was speculated to have been the Challenger’s 6th victim.

Her name was Kiki Asukai. 

While in the hospital, Akihito and Muku were being visited by Ayako, who constantly brought them flowers and books to pass the time. For Akihito, she brought him a camera so that he could take photos if he wanted to. He really appreciated it and hugged his wife.

Momoki had to explain to the 1st Investigation Division about Akihito’s sudden disappearance from the investigation as a sick leave in which he was going home to get medicine due to the vomiting that happened in the arena room. The case between Akihito and the Challenger was ruled out as self-defense.

The Challenger’s corpse was investigated and there was an autopsy performed. Inside his clothes, the investigators found a mysterious key in his back pocket, which seemed forged. The key turned out to be a forged copy of the house key from Room 314. No one knew who could have given him the key.

Unfortunately, there was no other evidence about the Challenger’s connection to the forged key found on him at the time of death, and the case was left unsolved. It was ruled an incident by the media and the frenzy on the Challenger’s last victim impacted the Narihisago family. The apartment building where housing unit Room 314 was spoken by others as cursed, with rumors leading many nearby housing residents to move out. Rumored eyewitness accounts of the incident spread all over the media about the two bloody men fighting at the balcony and on how the Challenger managed to get into the building in the first place. 

After recovering from his injuries, Akihito stayed at Momoki’s house, which was a large traditional Japanese mansion, with many rooms and floors. His wife and daughter also stayed with him as he was searching for a new home. 

One early afternoon, Akihito and Momoki were on the porch eating some rice cookies and drinking green tea. It has been many months since the media and the headline news died down about the Challenger. 

“Narihisago, are you feeling better? Can you move?” Momoki asked Akihito, who was sitting beside him. 

“I’m fine. Everything is getting back to normal and I can walk again,” Akihito replied, while looking at the Zen garden in front of them. 

His sullen expression worried Momoki for a while, but Akihito felt a sense of burden towards his friend for letting them stay while their home was being investigated. However, due to the media attention and the cursed rumors towards the Narihisago family, Momoki had suggested that Akihito look for a new home. Since then, Akihito had been searching online for a new house to live in, instead of just an apartment unit. 

“Momoki, do you think that dreams can tell the future?” Akihito muttered, looking down at the stones and pebbles that were lined up across the garden. 

“What made you ask that, Narihisago?”

“I-I don’t know,” said Akihito as he flattened his hair in embarrassment. “I’m sorry that I never told you the reason because of the Challenger incident but, I saw a nightmare of my family dead in front of me that day.” 

Momoki gave him a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

“I think it’s probably related to that girl that we found in the arena. I remember seeing her in my dream.”

“Interesting,” Momoki said, still perplexed about Akihito’s statement. “Maybe visiting her would help you.”

Akihito nodded and continued eating the rice cookies. Muku was nearby playing with some video games that Akihito bought for her. Her injuries had mostly healed but she was asked to stay home in order to regain her energy back. 

  
After a few weeks of planning, Akihito and Momoki headed up together towards the hospital to visit Kiki. The weather was rainy that day as they closed up their umbrellas and walked into the building. After asking the registration office about Kiki Asukai, they were led to her room.

There sat Kiki, with her sullen green eyes looking meekly at the wall. Her sleek black hair ran across her shoulders as she sat upward on the bed. Kiki had bandages around her face and her arms were still covered in bandages and other hospital patches. Akihito and Momoki went to get a chair nearby and sat down beside her. 

Kiki looked at the two of them and glared. 

“What do you want from me?”

Momoki cleared up his throat for a moment.

“Well, Asukai-san, this is my colleague Akihito Narihisago. I think you probably met him when we came to rescue you that time…”

Kiki looked at Akihito and turned away before looking back. Akihito felt embarrassed. He had vomited at the sight of her and then disappeared from the investigation team. 

“Sorry about that time, Asukai-san. But that’s not what I’m here for.”

“What do you want?” Kiki asked, looking at Akihito.

“Asukai-san, did you ever have dreams that showed you the future?”

Kiki gasped and caught her breath. She giggled at Akihito.  
  
“What’s so funny?”

“It’s interesting that you managed to guess what ability I had.”

“What?!”  
  
“About dreams and how they can predict the future…”

Kiki then looked back at the window, where the rain continued to pour onto the ground outside. The grim dark atmosphere of the rain pouring filled the room with melancholy and silence. 

“I have always projected my thoughts onto people and gave them what I saw since I was young,” Kiki said, “It’s fine if you two don’t believe me.”

Akihito looked at Kiki and Momoki, then sighed. Now he was going to listen to a girl’s rambles now. She had to deal with the Challenger while in the basement arena all those days by herself after all. But maybe he would give her a chance this time.

“So Asukai-san, what kind of dreams do you have?” Akihito asked.

“People kill me in my dreams,” she replied matter-of-factly.

The utter horror and shock filled the room. Afterwards, Kiki explained to Akihito and Momoki about a different person killing her every night in her dreams. Akihito was dumbfounded but continued listening, unsure what to make of it. After their conversation, Kiki told them to leave and come back another time. Her expression was a bit melancholic as she looked at Akihito. The two men bid their farewells and left the hospital room.

“Sorry for the trouble, Momoki,” Akihito muttered as they walked out. After seeing the girl from the Challenger incident, he felt a bit relieved that he didn't scare her. 

“It's fine, Narihisago. Maybe it’s better to just move on from this because this was just bad luck for you. You can still come visit Asukai-san with me again as well.”

Momoki patted Akihito on the back as they walked back away from the hospital.

A few months later, Akihito was able to go back on duty as a homicide detective. He went to work together with Momoki everyday as they planned out their time and meals. Muku was able to return to school while Ayako stayed at the mansion to help with the cooking. It really felt like things were going back to normal.

Early one evening, Akihito was prepping documents for another case when he heard the gate speaker ring inside in the house. It was a visitor. No one else was home. He went to answer the gate speaker.

“Who is it?”

“This is Sarina Togo. I’m here looking for Momoki-san.”

Akihito was surprised at this response.  
  
“Momoki isn’t home right now, but do you mind waiting?” 

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Akihito then opened the gate and saw the woman walking towards him. She had dark red hair, which was clipped in the back, and had dark green eyes. Inside the house, Akihito prepared some tea for her and told her to wait, apologizing for the timing. While she sat near Akihito drinking some green tea he made for her, she asked what he was doing here living with Momoki.

“It’s a long story, but it was because of the Challenger incident a couple months back. Our home was being investigated during that time and we had too many news reporters. It’s better now, and I’ll move out soon once I find a new home. I’m already grateful that Momoki let me stay here this long.”

“Interesting. I know Momoki-san talks about you to me a lot.”

Akihito smiled and went back on organizing his documents. A few hours later, Muku came into the house. 

“I’m home!”

Muku then looks up and sees Togo as she took off her shoes by the door side and wore some guest slippers. 

“Who is this?”

“Just someone who came to visit Momoki-san, Muku,” Akihito replied while still organizing his paperwork. 

“How can you be so sure that it’s not his _girlfriend_?”  
  
“Muku! Don’t ask those types of questions!”

Muku then left to put her things away near another room and disappeared for a while. Not long after, Momoki and Ayako came back home with groceries. As they took off their shoes and organized the ingredients, Momoki saw Togo near Akihito. 

“I’m sorry for the timing, Togo-san!” Momoki muttered, “I lost track of time and we found out that we didn’t have enough ingredients for the shabu shabu…”

Togo giggled and told him not to worry and that Akihito gave her company. If she felt like a bother, she would have left sooner. Momoki felt relieved and thanked Akihito. It was now time to prepare dinner. 

After dinner was ready, the table was set up. Many sets of sliced raw beef were put around the table, as well as many varieties of vegetables. Slices of cabbages, tofu, onions, carrots and mushrooms were all around the table. A hotpot was simmering in the middle filled with dashi stock. Everyone felt welcomed by the smell and began digging in. A few beer and sake bottles were also set nearby, as well as bottled green tea. 

“Itadakimasu! Thank you for the food!”

While everyone was eating, Togo rambled on about work and asked for help on cooking because she felt she wasn’t good enough for Momoki. Ayako then told her that she can teach her how to cook sometime. Meanwhile, Akihito and Momoki were talking about work, with Akihito nudging Momoki about the work partner. Muku kept asking Momoki and Togo about their relationship, which led to some awkward answers. Ayako also kept cleaning Akihito’s mouth with a napkin.

Everything was slowly going back to normal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This is called a cooldown chapter, which means chapters that are "cool" before another intense chapter happens. So there will be plenty of those in between intense chapters. 
> 
> Up next, a new serial killer case coming!
> 
> Editor credits go to Akaido and Main Beta Reader Raido from Discord.


	3. The Pyrotechnician (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Full Case (Split between Part 1 and Part 2)

File 3: The Pyrotechnician (Part 1)

Tis the season. The cold winter months are brewing outside, showing its seasonal flair towards the people in the Fukui Prefecture. Christmas decorations were sprinkled all over the cities and towns. Many people are preparing for the New Year’s and wishing for good luck and fortune to come towards them.  
  
Momoki and Akihito were walking back together from another meeting at work. They were discussing plans for the holidays and what to do for New Year’s. 

“So what do you planning to do, Narihisago?” Momoki asked, while watching his breath turn into cold mist. 

“I don’t know, Momoki.” Akihito brought a hand to his chin. “We might still go to the usual shrine and let our families have a New Year’s dinner again.”

The two of them walked together as they crossed the streets with many crowds of people going back and forth. As they walked, the news was being broadcasted near them on giant screens outside of nearby buildings. 

“Has the Pyrotechnician given up? There have no new reported bombings for the past few months. There are rumors that he could be on holiday…” 

The Pyrotechnician has been causing trouble for the police these past few months, but only now has the bombing stopped. All of his past bombings had always left firework residue in its wake. No one knew if the bomber had stopped, went on holiday, or had died from its own bombings. The billboards all over the city had warned about another potential attack, but they were all being muffled by the holiday season. Akihito and Momoki had just got out from a meeting about transferring the case from the 1st Division to the 2nd Division. 

“Oh! Seems like the store I need to go to is here,” said Akihito as they walked towards a shopping center. 

“Well then, I’ll see you later, Narihisago!”

The two men waved at each other as they went their separate ways.

Akihito walked into the shopping center, followed with aisles and shelves full of decorative wrappings and advertisements. There were many options of presents for loved ones as well as New Year sales. A few lines formed among the popular gifts, such as traditional Fukui sweets and alcohol. He walked a few aisles to find envelopes for _otoshimada_ , special envelopes for children and younger relatives that they receive New Year’s money in. Akihito picked up a sakura shaped envelope and picked up a shopping cart. Looking around the center, he thought about giving his wife Ayako another present for the New Year’s. She had always given him a camera sometimes whenever his got worn out, so he wanted to repay the favors she had done throughout the year. 

Not too far away from the aisle, there was a promotion for chocolate flavored _wagashi_ , which were fancy mochi filled with chocolate and other gourmets. The promotion assistant noticed Akihito looking around and went to tell him all about the new items that were out for New Years. After much pestering, Akihito obliged and bought the items that the promoter told him about.

“Thank you for buying our product!” the assistant said as Akihito left the aisle.

Not too far off was a cake shop, where Akihito went to buy a small cake for his family. Once he had acquired the presents, he went back home and kept them hidden until New Year’s.

A couple hours later, Akihito and his family were eating cake together while watching TV. The news reporters were still discussing the unsolved Pyrotechnician case, warning people to be careful while preparing for New Years. Ayako was eating her cake slice while she was looking through a Fukui-based magazine. 

“Hey Aki, I’ll be checking out this mall tomorrow,” she said as she ate another bite. “It’s called the Fukui 99 Mall and it opened a few months ago.”

“Why do you want to go there?” Akihito asked.

“Why did you need to ask, silly. It’s close to New Year’s and it would be nice to check it out and buy some presents for you two.”

“But the Pyrotechnician is still out there! Please be careful!”

Ayako pouted but then answered back at Akihito. 

“Aki-kun, it’s been at least a year since the Challenger. Nothing bad will happen to us okay?” She moved to put a hand on his shoulder as an act of reassurance. “We just moved to a new home and it would be great to start the new year with something nice.”

Muku was on the side of the table, eating her slice and getting another. She was playing with her phone as Akihito and Ayako argued about the mall and the Pyrotechnician. Later, Akihito hid the present and the money envelope away from his family, hoping to give to them when it was close to New Year’s and when things were dying down from the fight. 

The next day, after the family finished their lunch, Ayako prepared to leave for the mall. Akihito looked a bit sullen from the argument the night before, but he still let her go in the end. 

Before she left, Ayako left a message for Akihito:

“Since you are so worried, I’ll be back by 18:00 (6:00pm). You two can have dinner without me if I come home late.”

Muku looked at her father’s saddened face and tried to cheer him up. Akihito was grateful for his daughter’s worries, but still wanted to let her have fun. After all, it could be all in his head. Muku told him that she could stay to keep him company, but Akihito refused.

“Just go, Muku,” Akihito told her with a small smile. “You already have somewhere to go right now.”

Muku did have somewhere to go, but before she left she offered to help buy more groceries before she came back. As Akihito laid down on the living room floor, he closed his eyes and wondered how to pass the time. Not far from him, a video game console was nearby with a few games on it. 

Akihito decided to play some video games for once. After a few hours had passed, he checked the clock again.

The clock read 19:00 (7:00pm).

“Oh man, I forgot about the time. Seems like Ayako is going to come back a little late,” Akihito said as he put the gaming consoles away. He had an urge to call her just in case, so he did. The phone rang and rang but no one answered. Confused, Akihito thought that Ayako probably chose to ignore his calls because of the fight last night and might cool off when she comes back. 

Not long after, another phone call came. It was Momoki.

Akihito picked up the phone call again, this time expecting Momoki to give him the time about the New Year’s meeting place as last year.

But something didn’t feel right.

“Hello? This is Akihito Narihisago here. What is it, Momoki?”

After a few seconds of silence. Momoki brought up the bad news.

“Narihisago, there was a bombing at a mall. People are trapped in there.”

“Which mall?”

“The recently opened Fukui 99 Mall…”

Akihito’s palms started sweating. Ayako had just gone to that mall today and hadn’t called back yet. Gritting his teeth, he felt regretful that his last words to his wife were an argument the night before. He rushed to get dressed and took his badge as he left the house.

  
When Akihito arrived at the scene, Momoki was a few blocks away from the building. He greeted Akihito and pointed towards the bombed mall, debris and fallout all over the place. They walked into the scene, with police cars and investigation vehicles all around the building. There were only a few openings left in which some people had crawled out of the trapped building. There were some gawkers at the scene as well, who were shooed away by some policemen. 

As Akihito came running towards Momoki, Momoki gave him some more information:

“Narihisago! I only got the information not too long ago because of Togo-san. She is from the 2nd Investigation Division and told me that the bombings began a few hours ago. There seems to be some signaling and communication issues going on right now.”

The two of them then rushed closer towards the scene, only to be stopped by some police officers who were guarding the area. Some parts of the mall had been cut off by police tape. After much hassling, they made it into the main investigation vehicle where the main division chief was. When they made it inside, the 2nd Investigation Division Chief stopped them from getting any closer to the investigation room. 

“Who are you two? This is none of your business! We can handle it!” he said gruffly as he tried to shoo away Momoki and Akihito. 

Turns out all the confusion was because Momoki and Akihito were wearing civilian clothes and were not in uniform. They were being mistaken for news reporters and journalists. 

Both of them quickly took out their badges to show their police titles.

“Funetaro Momoki, Homicide Detective from the 1st Investigation Division.”

“Akihito Narihisago, Homicide Detective from the 1st Investigation Division.” 

The 2nd Division Chief stared and looked at their badges before turning them away. 

“Not only are you two from a different division but also don’t you guys only work on homicidal cases? Why are you here for? This is a bombing!” the Chief muttered at them. 

While the 1st Investigation Division tended to do homicide cases, the 2nd Division sometimes takes their slack if there are still some cold cases and unresolved evidence in the area. 

  
“But we have worked on this bombing case for months before it was transferred to your division, Chief-san,” Momoki replied. “It could be the Pyrotechnician again.”

“It's a bombing! What does it have to do with homicide?”

Akihito clenched his fists.

“Haven’t people died in there already? It’s a massacre!” Akihito replied as he gritted his teeth. “Let us help you!”

After much persuasion, the two of them were allowed to help on the scene investigation. The outer team was near the mall rubble, collecting remnants of bomb shells and other residue. The gruesome details revealed that body parts were thrown across the area. Momoki noticed Akihito’s sullen expression as he helped with the investigation and the clues on how to get into the building and the destruction of the mall. After a while, the 2nd Division team found some firework residue, which matched the Pyrotechnician’s trademark bombings. 

It was the Pyrotechnician who caused the Fukui 99 Mall Bombing. 

With the continuous choppy communication and signaling, the 2nd Division was dumbfounded on the issue and wasn’t sure how to fix it. Additionally, they were not able to wirelessly get the security feed from inside the mall. They had secured the whole area surrounding the mall and had not seen anyone leave nor were they able to gather enough clues to find the culprit.

The only way was to go inside the building.

The 2nd Division Chief scratched his head about how to resolve this case. There were no clues on how the bombs went off and there were no responses from the trapped survivors inside the building. The mall was not large by metropolitan standards, as it had up to three floors of merchandise and shops. Some of the entrances were blocked by rubble and fallout from the past few bombs going off inside the building. 

“We really have no choice,” said the 2nd Division Chief. “We need people to go inside the building after all. There’s not enough clues for us to go on and no one has seen anyone escape yet. But we won’t know what happened unless we get the security feed from the mall, but due to the choppy signaling, it's impossible!”

There isn’t much time to be roaming around thinking. There are people still trapped in the mall and have been for hours. Momoki and Akihito were on the sidelines looking around the building, and spotted a small opening. However, it was very high up and they would need help climbing into the building. After going back to the Chief and asking for permission, he allowed them to go in, but with a mission.

“There is an important mission I need you two to do, since not many people here seem to be willing.” The chief gave them a determined gaze. “Because the signals and communications are so choppy, can you help us get the security feed from the mall directly? Also, make sure to check for survivors. It seems like we don’t have enough people here up for the task.”

Momoki was about to reply, but Akihito stopped him this time. He looked into the Chief’s eyes and said, “I’ll be willing to do it if you let me do something else as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“Find my wife.”

The Chief noticed his seriousness and didn’t say a word. He told them that the bomb squads will arrive soon to check if there are any other bombs inside the building. After he left, Momoki and Akihito were left on the field again, standing with many other investigators and reporters on the scene to check out the bombings. But before Akihito got ready, Momoki told him to call his wife and daughter again.

“Narihisago, I know that you are worried about your wife being inside the building, but this is a very dangerous task! Both of us could die!” Momoki said while touching Akihito’s shoulder.

Akihito felt worried and saddened due to the slow responses from the different division team and the communication issues around the building. He took out his phone and checked for a signal. There was none. 

“All these signaling issues could be due to a jammer.” Akihito became a bit perplexed. “Something’s not right here.”

Momoki considered this idea. “Try walking a bit further away.”

Akihito obliged Momoki's suggestion and walked a few blocks away from the building to find a signal again. It seemed to be where he first saw Momoki when he rushed to the scene. It was the only area which seemed to have signal and connection near the range of the mall. When Akihito returned his attention to Momoki, he found that his friend had also moved a few blocks away and was talking to someone familiar. It was Togo. 

Akihito went and called his wife Ayako first. There was still no response. Then, he called Muku and she answered.

“What is it, Dad? I’m with my friends like you said. Sorry that we’re being out late right now. I can come home if you want.”

“MUKU! STAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS FOR NOW!”

“Dad? What are you talking about? Isn’t it getting late, it's past 21:00 (9:00pm) now. Are you worried that I haven’t had dinner yet? We already ate…”

Akihito looked up into the sky and saw the sky slowly darken. It was getting late and there was still not much progress. The mall had some lighting, but they would still need flashlights and other sources of light in order to navigate as a backup countermeasure. Thankfully, the mall still seemed to have some lights, although some were damaged from the bombs, which had also impacted the wires. He didn’t want Muku to see him like this, as well as the possible bad news of Mom being dead. He clenched his fists again.

“I-It’s nothing, Muku. Everything’s fine. Just that Dad might come home a bit late tonight okay?”

“Whatever you say, Dad. I hope nothing bad happened again.”

Akihito tried to hold back tears. There was definitely a possibility of Ayako being found dead, especially since there were body parts found in some areas of the bombed locations. Not to mention, the mission he was about to do would also risk his life. There was no certainty. Muku could be left an orphan. 

After he finished calling, Akihito sprinted back towards the scene again. Momoki was still having a conversation with Togo about something, but he greeted Akihito and told him about their plans. 

“Narihisago, our plan is to find the problem that is causing the communication issue first. Then, we’ll be guided by Togo to the security feed rooms and the other locations because she managed to get a map of the mall. There could be more bombs in there so we’re wearing a bomb suit.” Momoki gave a concerned gaze. “It might not protect us much from the bombs since we have to move around in the mall to search for them and find the survivors trapped in there.” 

After Akihito listened, he asked when they were about to go in. Momoki and Togo then asked if he had eaten. Akihito hadn’t eaten yet and it had been at least four hours. Momoki then went to a nearby vehicle and took out a bag. It was filled with convenience store food items. He took out an onigiri and a water bottle and put it into Akihito’s hands.

“Eat first, then we’ll go in. You need to eat, Narihisago.”

After they ate, Momoki and Akihito were ready to be sent into the building. Togo would be their main communicator but there was a risk of choppy signals unless they found the jammer first. The three floors of the mall seemed massive and intimidating, so they would have to figure out a way to check most of the area. They might also find the survivors inside the mall hiding inside stores and other areas that were not damaged.

The two of them put on their bomb protection suit with some form of flexibility. The duo was also equipped with a GPS on them so Togo could track where they were going. After this was finished, they were helped by the outside crew into the building on the second floor, which had an opening apart from most of the other entrances being closed off or too dangerous to get into. Momoki and Akihito ended up near a semi-destroyed shop in front of them, which was messed up from the rubble and fallout. 

The mall surroundings were covered floor by floor. The duo were able to see all three floors as there were escalators all around the area. Some of the escalators were still moving as if nothing had happened. A row of stores, shops and restaurants lined the corners. They noticed a few people a bit farther from their line of sight. It seemed as if the mall was a bit emptier than usual. The fallout from the second floor didn’t help, making navigating and traveling around the mall very difficult and dangerous. After staring around the area, Momoki and Akihito received a signaled transmission from Togo.

“This is Togo-san. Can you two hear me?”

Momoki adjusted the small mic in front of his ears. So did Akihito.

“Roger Togo-san. We can hear you. You sound a bit choppy and muffled but we can understand your speech.”

“I’m so sorry about this. Find the possible jammer so that we can have an easier time communicating. Please look around the mall as much as you can, safely. There might be fallout and rubble from the past few bombings.”

As Akihito listened to Momoki talking to Togo from the mic, he heard a very faint beep noise in the background.

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

The duo slowly walked towards a row of stores. Akihito held up his mic towards his ears and still heard the faint beeping sound. It was slightly louder. 

“Momoki, I know that we don’t have much to go on right now, but we can try to find the source of the beeping first,” he said as he nudged Momoki. 

Momoki also put up the mic towards his ears again and tried to listen closely. After a few minutes, he finally noticed the faint beeping sound. The two of them began their trek to guess the source of the sound. The mall had a mess of lighting all around them. Some corners of the area were pitch black from the lack of lighting while other parts were brightly lit. As they walked towards the corner of the mall, they noticed a few people inside the stores peering from inside. 

Akihito wanted to help them but Momoki stopped him.

“Not now, Narihisago. We need to finish our mission first, then we can rescue the people trapped in here.”

They kept going towards the source of the sound. The beeping got louder and louder. It got so loud that Togo asked from the mic if there were any issues going on with their protection equipment and supplies.

At last, they came across the source of the sound. It was in the corner of the mall, hidden from the light. Akihito took out a flashlight from their bag of equipment and flashed it towards the source. Not far from them, they noticed a cell phone shaped object in front of them. Akihito slowly walked towards it and grabbed it.

“Narihisago, what are you do-…”

Near the device was a lined wire connecting to a bomb. It started to beep louder. Momoki grabbed Akihito and they both crouched down for cover. A small blast was heard near them.

BOOM.

“M-Momoki-san? Narihisago-san? Answer me please!”

Momoki opened his eyes a bit and felt a bit of heat and the smell of burned material. Akihito was crouched underneath him as he had forcefully taken him by the arm and forced him down. Akihito got up and dusted off the burned particles all over himself. The burned aftermath from the triggered trap had made the two of them wary. Akihito went towards the fake bomb and checked the inside. 

It was full of burned up firework residue, which had been ignited from him grabbing the jammer out of the wall. It was just a bluff.

“Man, the Pyrotechnician almost got us! Thought we were dead!” exclaimed Momoki.

Akihito took the firework residue from the burned up bomb trap and made contact with Togo.

“Togo-san, do you know where we are? It might give us a clue on finding the other jammers around here.”

“Narihisago-san, seems like you two are at the corner of floor two. You are near the elevators and the emergency staircase to your left.”

Akihito thought for a moment. If the jammers are in the corner of the mall, it's possible to check all corners of the mall on each floor for more jammers. He looked at the jammer they took off from the wall. It was beeping a while ago but it has stopped from the small blast that had set off the trap in front of them. Momoki then tested his mic again and asked for communication problems from the other side.   
  
“Yes, communications are still choppy, there are probably more inside the mall. Please be careful.”

The duo then started to make their way across the corners of the mall. After a while of searching, they found another jammer, also hidden away near the dark areas of the mall. This time, it was on the third floor. They climbed up through the emergency stairway to reach this one. 

“Togo-san, sorry about the first jammer. It seemed to be a faulty one that made the beeping sound to begin with. Can you tell us a proper way to dispose of the jammers without triggering the traps?” asked Akihito as he talked through the mic. 

“There is a way. Please listen to the instructions carefully.”

After Togo told Akihito and Momoki how to turn off the jammers without triggering the traps, Akihito went to check up on the fake bomb trap. It was another bluff. It seems like the small jammers were full of bluffed traps to delay their reaction and create fear. They went around the mall to find and dispose of more jammers.

The communication system was slowly connecting and the wireless transmission improved. However, outside communication was still choppy. Akihito searched around the mall and found a hidden elevator to a different part of the building. It was connected to a signal tower. 

“Togo-san, seems like the connection issues from outside could be from the signal tower amplifying the jammer inside. It might have an actual bomb inside there. Taking the elevator is too risky right now, so we’ll prioritize finding the security feeds and rescuing the people trapped here,” said Momoki.

“Roger, Momoki-san. We will send in a bomb squad inside the tower after we rescue everyone.”

  
After walking around the mall for a while, Akihito and Momoki were able to find some clusters of people hiding inside stores as well as underneath some parts of the building. Akihito wanted to look for his wife among the crowd but Momoki stopped him again.

“I know that you’re worried about your wife, Narihisago, but there could be the bomber among them. We don't want him to realize us and trigger more bombs.”

Akihito clenched his fists again and tried not to look worried. Momoki patted him on the back and told him to hope. Unfortunately, they had found more body parts inside the mall where the bombings had taken place and Akihito didn’t want to think that one of them could be Ayako.

Togo guided the two of them into the security room, which was on the first floor. A small hole was made from the bombs nearby. It was a bit eerie but Akihito flashed his flashlight into the corner and saw in the distance some monitors and control panels. 

“I found the room,” Akihito reported, beginning to move inside.

“Narihisago, be careful. There could be another trap in there!”

Akihito looked back at Momoki and snickered. They had dealt with enough bluffs from the jammers. This one probably won’t be a bomb. But as he was about to step in, he felt a string underneath his feet. 

“WATCH OUT!”

Momoki pushed Akihito to the floor again and away from the blast. This time they felt pain and shards flying in their faces. The force was tearing at their protection suits, but there were no serious injuries. Akihito looked up to see part of the room destroyed. The trigger was near them, which was full of very thin strings that held the destroyed bomb. The duo got up and dusted off the bomb shards on them. Akihito picked up his flashlight again from the rubble fallout and shined his light on the room again. 

Some parts of the room were still intact. There was a plug in order to get the security feed footage. Akihito got up and tested the equipment. Thankfully, some of them were still functional. Momoki took out some external drives and cords to plug into the semi-functional security feed monitors. After a few searches on the monitor and checking for other traps, the security feed began loading into the drives. Akihito helped keep watch as Momoki downloaded the data.

“Togo-san, we got the security feed footage. Is it possible to send it over wirelessly?”

But there was some silence and more choppy feedback going through.

“I’m so sorry Momoki-san. Seems like the communications from outside still don't work right. You might have to give it to us physically after you rescue the people inside.”

Akihito looked around the security room and found a speaker room nearby. He went in and scouted the area. There were no visible traps inside the room, but he couldn’t be sure. He turned on the light and checked for other traps. After a while, he went back to Momoki, who was near the security room waiting for more instructions. After muttering to Momoki about the speaker room, it gave Momoki an idea.

“We can help organize the survivors using the speaker! Nice going, Narihisago!” 

They worked on the speaker room and once they got it to function, Akihito went outside the area, testing for any sound coming from the speakers. The mall speakers were spread out all over the mall, so it was tricky to find out where the source was coming from. But right before Akihito was about to split up with Momoki to guide the survivors, Momoki stopped him for a moment. 

“Here take this, Narihisago. It’s for your own safety.”

Momoki gave Akihito a stun gun from the equipment bag. 

Afterwards, Akihito and Momoki split up to do their tasks in guiding the survivors out. Akihito walked around the area and found some people hiding in the corners again. 

“It’s going to be fine now, please follow my lead,” Akihito said, “My partner is at the speaker room so that he can guide you all to safety.”

Akihito slowly navigated the mall again, being wary of damaged and dangerous sections of the mall. A sizable amount of people formed, but Akihito still hasn't seen Ayako among them yet. After a few hiccups, the speakers turned on and out came Momoki’s voice. 

“ATTENTION EVERYONE. WE ARE FROM THE POLICE FORCE. WE’RE HERE TO RESCUE EVERYONE HERE. PLEASE FOLLOW MY PARTNER’S LEAD. HE WILL GET HELP FROM THE OUTSIDE SOON, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT.”

Akihito looked around the mall and noticed some gaps between the entrances. The bombed corners seemed a bit hollow and arranged, as if someone messed with the rubble for something. Not far from him, he found more body parts, gruesomely arranged as if for a macabre display. Feeling a bit sick, Akihito left that part of the area and went to find more people from the other two floors. Due to the vast amount of people gathered together, he wasn't able to find anyone familiar yet. There was someone hiding with something around their head, but she didn't seem to say anything. He might have gotten his hopes too high. He gritted his teeth. 

“Hello everyone, thank you for gathering in this open area, please wait a while until rescue arrives please,” Akihito said as he talked to the crowd of people. 

Akihito picked up his mic again and asked Togo about any other openings that can help lead them out. Togo was still asking the team outside if there were other safe areas to drill out. After waiting a while, she answered that there is another opening that can be drilled out but asked them to wait.

It was already 23:00(11:00pm). It was getting late.

While Togo’s side was drilling an opening for a safe rescue, Akihito kept watch over the survivors and told them how to organize themselves for the rescue. After looking through them, he noticed some with different shaped bags and others wearing hats. Some of them looked suspicious. Everyone else had carried holiday shopping bags and some were still holding their merchandise that they bought that day. 

Momoki was also still receiving instructions from Togo inside the speaker room, so Akihito continued waiting for him. Akihito had set the survivors in an open area, not too far from the main tower and on a safe floor away from the fallout and rubble from the entrances. Momoki was nearby. 

Then Akihito had an idea. He began asking questions.

“I know all of you are distressed about this situation, but if you are willing to answer, it would help keep our rescue run more smoothly. Please form a separate group near me if you fit these categories.”

The crowd muttered a bit before going quiet. 

“Do any of you all carry a large bag? A bag that's big enough to carry large items in.”

A few people got up. Akihito told them to sit near him.

“Do any of you currently wear a hat? Or something that covers your face?”

A few more people got up and moved. 

However, right before Akihito asked another question, someone in the crowd seemed to be slowly sneaking away. He went to apprehend him. 

“What are you doing sneaking away, sir?” 

The guy was dressed up in a hat and had a large bag, which seemed to carry heavy equipment. It seemed to fit some of the suspicious characteristics for the Pyrotechnician. Before Akihito got any closer, the suspect took something out of his bag. It was a remote control.

“Police officer-san, let me go or else I’ll set off the bomb inside the main-tower!”

The Pyrotechnician looked gleefully towards the crowd. His widened eyes faced Akihito as he held up the remote control. Akihito was at a standstill. Momoki has still not spoken from the speakers in a while. The atmosphere became tense.

He had to act fast or they would all be blown to pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Full Case! 2nd Part of the Case will be out later. It was a struggle trying to make everything flow and sound natural but thankfully there were good helpers and idea givers in the server! 
> 
> Some serial killer cases will be written like an episode. It can be split into 2 or 3 Parts depending on the plot and situation.
> 
> Editor Creditors go to Akaido and Main Beta Reader Raido from Discord.


	4. The Pyrotechnician (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the First Full Case

File 4: The Pyrotechnician (Part 2) 

The Pyrotechnician held up the remote control in his hand, ready to press it. Akihito was at a standstill with him, while Momoki was still inside the speaker room getting instructions from Togo. The survivors looked stunned at the revelation and began to panic. 

“DON’T PANIC!” Akihito yelled, “I HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL!”

The Pyrotechnician snickered as if he had gotten Akihito by the helms. He looked back towards the police officer and tried to make a deal. Akihito moved back a bit and looked for an opening in the Pyrotechnician’s actions. 

“Okay, I’ll let you go for a second.”

“That’s more like it!”

But just as the Pyrotechnician was about to run, Akihito found an opening in his movement and tripped him. He fell to the floor, with the remote control flying out of his hands. Enraged, the Pyrotechnician stood up and threw his fists at Akihito. 

“HOW DARE YOU! YOU TRICKED ME!”

In one second, Akihito caught the Pyrotechnician’s fist. Then threw a punch back at him. The Pyrotechnician fell to the floor again, which caused his hat to fall off. It revealed a rather handsome looking face. He had slicker black hair, and his nose was flattened out. This time, he tried to crawl desperately to reach for the remote control, but before he was able to move any further, Akihito took out the stun gun that Momoki gave him and stunned him from the back. As the Pyrotechnician lay unconscious for a moment, Akihito quickly handcuffed him.

Akihito looked back at the crowd of survivors, then mentioned the last category:

“So, are any of you also photographers? Please split up again.”

After a few people moved around again, Momoki came back from the speaker room. The drilling rescue mission was almost complete. He came back to see Akihito with a suspect in handcuffs.

“What’s the meaning of this, Narihisago?”

“Momoki, he tried to sneak away from the group and threatened us with a bomb.”

Akihito grabbed the remote control that was on the floor and sealed it inside a plastic bag. From then on, Akihito separated the group as everyone got rescued on Togo’s side. 

  
After a few hours, everyone was getting treated for their injuries. Akihito was inside the investigation room that was in a large vehicle that held up the camera feeds and other satellite technology. A couple moments later, the 2nd Division Chief, Momoki and Togo arrived. Momoki asked Akihito if his injuries still needed treatment. Akihito gestured to show that he was fine. 

Togo took out the security footage that Akihito and Momoki got from the mall security room and played part of it. It only showed many people shopping inside prior to the bombing. The crowds inside the footage were very hard to make out, with people crowding the area to shop for New Years while Christmas was going on. 

“This still doesn’t help us much,” the Chief said as he scratched his head, “Even with the security footage, it won’t be enough evidence to convict him.”

“There is,” Akihito interrupted. He was leaning on the wall of the investigation room, with his arms crossed. 

“What do you mean there is? There are too many people in the footage for us to pinpoint his activity!” the Chief bellowed back at him. 

Akihito looked towards the room next door, with the Pyrotechnician handcuffed to a chair. He turned back towards the Chief and asked for the separated group’s possessions. This angered the Chief even more. 

“Why do you want to do that? They aren’t the suspects!”

Akihito sighed. He had to find a way to calm the 2nd Division Chief down and explain his reasoning. Momoki was in the corner trying to gesture to not make the conflict worse than it needs to be. Togo was very confused about the whole situation. Akihito quickly went out for a bit to talk to the separated group for some of their possessions. 

  
After a couple minutes, Akihito came back with some of the group’s possessions, especially cameras. He wore gloves in order to protect himself from leaving fingerprints on it and examined the photos still inside the camera feeds. In the corner of the room were the Pyrotechnicians’ possessions, which also held a large camera. Apart from the usual bombing equipment needed to create and set up bombs, there were other objects that were related to photos. 

Then he turned on the security footage feed again.

“If you look closely, it may seem too crowded. But, if you pinpoint them towards the people taking photos, it’s easier to spot.”

Akihito pointed towards a group of people taking selfies in the corner, with their smartphones out in front of them. Not too far off, others were also taking photos in front of the holiday themed booths. However, someone was on the side of the feed posing differently compared to everyone else. 

“Usually, when you take photos, you usually use a selfie stick or hold your hands up for the right angle,” Akihito said, “But the way the person poses is that of a professional photographer.”

“P-Photography?” Momoki asked, a bit bewildered.

“Yes, that is why I asked for their cameras to compare their photos. When you professionally pose, you tend to use your whole body to get the angle right,” Akihito replied as he demonstrated the posture. It was a straight pose as Akihito used a pretend camera. 

He points back towards the suspicious person in the security feed doing a similar pose. It was as if he was keeping an eye on the mall security cameras. There were a few flashes of light that indicated the person taking photos of the area. 

“Another odd thing was also his clothing. Normally during Christmas and New Year, you would be dressed nicer and try not to keep yourself hidden. But the way this guy moved was a bit sneaky. Clever.”

Akihito turned around and looked back at the 2nd Division Chief. The Chief was muttering to himself and began thinking too. 

“So you believe the Pyrotechnician used photography to trick us?” he asked.

“Probably,” Akihito answered, “Sometimes, malls don’t allow photography in some areas but with these crowds, it’s easy to miss.”

Momoki and Togo were a bit dumbfounded by the answers but were also speculating Akihito’s deduction. Things seem to make sense. The locations of the jammers were only near the areas with signals and near the outer portions of the mall. The way they were pointed showed that the Pyrotechnician knew how the signal transmission worked. 

Akihito then took out the photos and compared them between the other group that he separated from and the Pyrotechnician. The comparisons were uncanny. The usual photos from their cameras tended to show off group shoots and people doing victory hand signs, while also taking pictures of the Christmas trees around the mall. The Pyrotechnician’s photos were gruesome and gritty, with shots of the dead surrounding the mall area and shots of destruction. 

“I asked this group to separate to use as a comparison,” Akihito said, “You can tell right away the differences between them.”

Indeed there was. A difference between life and death.

Akihito then asked Togo some questions. 

“Togo-san, how were the casualties?” 

“Seems to be around 20 casualties, Narihisago-san. What about it?”

“Where were they all located?”

“Near the entrances of the mall…”  
  
“Were there any in other parts of the mall?”

“There were a few but they were all from the fallout and rubble…”

“Correct,” Akihito muttered, putting his hand to his chin, “It means that the Pyrotechnician may not have intentionally wanted to kill people this time, but wanted to cause fear and panic.”

“Then that would explain all the jammers,” Momoki replied, “It was only used to delay our actions because of the communication issues…and why they’re all bluffs.”

Akihito clenched his fist before crossing his arms again. He had wanted to beat up the Pyrotechnician for causing so much carnage and getting his wife involved, but everyone else was watching him. This was no time for emotions.

“The Pyrotechnician is an attention seeker and wants fear,” Akihito said, while seemingly angry, “That would explain all the delayed communication issues we have had for hours and the traps inside the building. He has had at least four hours in there to take photos of this catastrophe to his heart’s content!” 

Akihito then walked into the interrogation room, with the Pyrotechnician locked onto his chair. He sat down across from him and took out his camera in front of him. Inside, it was full of pictures of Muku.

“What are you going to do to me?” the Pyrotechnician asked, staring into Akihito’s judgmental eyes.

“Well, you are convicted already but I’ll show you something else,” Akihito replied, “My family photos!”

One after another, Akihito showed the Pyrotechnician many photos of his family, Ayako and Muku. Some of them were pictures of himself as well. The Pyrotechnician was confused on all this. 

“Do you not have any sense of life? Isn’t photography made to capture moments of life?! What were you thinking?!” Akihito exclaimed, “My family is very important to me, and I take photos to capture the moment!”  
  
As Akihito rambled on and on towards the Pyrotechnician, Momoki was on the sidelines facepalming. He had expected Akihito to punch the Pyrotechnician again but it seemed that he had controlled himself this time. The 2nd Division Chief was watching and Togo was there. 

“You are a _disgrace_ to photography! You want attention, but the way you do it creates fear and panic. Is that what you want? To see others’ fears?” 

Momoki then tapped Akihito on the back, and told him to stop. It was getting late and they already got the evidence from Akihito’s deduction. Akihito took his camera and got up from the interrogation table, with Momoki behind him. Momoki gestured to Togo as they walked out to talk to her superior to wrap things up and clear everything up. 

The night sky was dark, with stars glittering in the sky. The nearby vehicles and makeshift tents were made nearby to treat the wounded survivors from the trapped mall. Momoki led Akihito into one of the tents. Near them was a group of people still getting their injuries treated, and the lead nurse was there.

“What do you two want?” asked the nurse.

“We’re here to look for someone named Ayako Narihisago? Is she available?” Momoki said as he gestured towards her. Akihito’s face was sullen.

“Oh, I don’t know,” the nurse said, “Don’t know if there was someone named Ayako, but there was a Narihisago. Hopefully it’s her.”

Momoki apologized for the intrusion and then led Akihito somewhere else. Akihito was almost in a fit of tears. He was trying not to cry. Akihito had resisted showing his emotions during the mission and tried to keep calm during the rescue mission, but the thought of Ayako being dead became more real this time. The truth would hit him in the face.

“C-Calm down, Narihisago. There’s still hope. Let’s check out the person with Narihisago in their name. It could be your wife…”

Akihito wiped a bit of his tears away and calmed down a bit. They walked around the other vehicles and tents looking for his wife. After half an hour of searching, there was still not much information to go around due to the sheer amount of people that were trapped inside the mall. Momoki thought for a moment that they could help them find her. They went back towards the tent with the head nurse and asked about what the Narihisago person was like and where she was. She pointed them towards another building not too far from the area. It was where the survivors were waiting for their family in case they got separated. It was now or never. Momoki took this chance and went inside. 

There were a couple people in there still waiting, unsure if their relatives were dead, alive or just being treated. Momoki asked around and finally saw someone with her head covered. She seemed embarrassed and tried to look away. Around her were her friends, who were also a bit flustered. 

“D-Do you happen to be Narihisago-san, madam?” Momoki asked. Akihito was waiting outside, unsure what to do with himself. 

The woman looked back at him and took off her covering. It was Ayako. She had just hidden herself away because she had felt embarrassed for seeing Akihito during the rescue mission and didn’t want to cause them more trouble. She was still holding on to some merchandise and her purse bag. Momoki patted her on the shoulder to tell her that her husband Akihito was waiting for her outside. 

“It’s all my fault! I should have listened to him!” she cried, “I got Aki-kun worried and who knows what he did just to look for me…”

“Please calm down, Narihisago-san, your husband wants you back. He believes that you died…”

“He probably called me so many times but I wasn't able to get anything. I must have gotten him worried…”

Ayako was talking about the cell phone issues that everyone had with trying to communicate to the outside, but had not known about the signal jammers placed all over the mall prior to the bombings. After Ayako ranted for a bit, Momoki asked her to go outside to meet Akihito again. She eventually obliged to his suggestion this time and waved goodbye to her friends. 

While Akihito was waiting outside, he thought about the moments he had with his wife. He closed his eyes and imagined her, with her soft dark sleek hair and shining green eyes. The moments of dating, greeting, having a child, arguing and sharing meals together. As he was lost in thought, a voice popped up:

“Aki-kun, is that you?”

Akihito thought for a moment.

“Am I dead already and I’m seeing my wife now…” he muttered to himself.

“No, it’s really me! Open your eyes!”

Akihito felt taken aback by the sudden sharpness in her voice. He opened his eyes to see Ayako right in front of him, with Momoki behind her. He tried to hide away his tears but it was too late. He was bawling in front of her as he hugged her tightly and squeezed her tightly. 

The clock read 2:00 (2:00am).

  
  
Not long after the bombing incident, Akihito went back home with Ayako to find that Muku had stayed at a friend’s house for the night after his warning. The media and press on the bombing case was handled by the 2nd Division Chief. He claimed that the bombings were made by a domestic terrorist and that it had nothing to do with international relations. Akihito and Momoki were praised for their bravery, while the evidence that Akihito provided against the Pyrotechnician was used to convict him during the court case. 

A few weeks later, New Year’s began. Akihito was helping set up the table for a visitor tonight. It was Momoki, who was coming to visit their home again for the New Year. Togo couldn’t come because she was celebrating New Year’s with her family, leaving Momoki alone in the house again. They had prepared _osechi-ryori_ , which was a special selection of New Year’s dishes that contained boiled seaweed, fish cakes, mashed sweet potatoes with chestnut, simmered burdock root, and sweetened black soybeans. On their front porch, a _shimekazari_ was hung outside. It was made with a small rope of rice straws and decorated with shire, which were zigzag paper strips. A _kadomatsu_ , a traditional Japanese decoration used to welcome _kami_ , or spirits of the harvest, was also placed in their front porch as well.

On January, 1st, 2017, Akihito gave his wife and daughter their New Year presents. Muku opened up her money envelope, only to complain that it was only 5000 yen and not enough money to buy things with. Ayako greatly appreciated the wagashi that Akihito had given her. Since they had anticipated that the shrines would be crowded, they would decide to go in the next few days when there were less people. 

A doorbell rang. Akihito took the call and went to open the door. It was Momoki. He was carrying some bags of items for them to share. 

“Welcome, Momoki! Glad you’re here!” 

“Narihisago, I brought you guys some presents. Please accept them.”

Out of the bags came some expensive Fukui sake, chocolates, and traditional rice crackers. Ayako took the bags in and thanked Momoki. Momoki took off his shoes and wore the guest slippers that Akihito provided for him. Muku was in the corner playing with her phone and checking for more New Year’s events. 

The table was set filled with delicious New Year’s food. Ayako had prepared them some New Year’s Eve soba for them to enjoy, which was sidelined with dipping sauce and wasabi. Together, Akihito, his family, and Momoki enjoyed the dinner and gave thanks for the New Year. 

After they finished eating, they began planning their trip to the shrine. Akihito had originally planned to not wear anything traditional this year, but Momoki had hidden a surprise for him. Ayako and Muku went to get their kimonos on for the occasion while Momoki went into his bag to pull out some yukatas. 

“This is for you, Narihisago,” Momoki said as he handed him a yukata. The yukata was brimmed in some white and gold garnishes over the dark exterior. 

Akihito took the yukata that Momoki had given him and accepted. Not too far inside the kitchen, Ayako was preparing some rice balls to take for their trip towards the shrine. It would be a long car ride. Muku was still sleepy from the ordeal and complained about the long distance to the shrine to her mother.

“Why do we have to go to the far away shrine, Dad? Can’t we just go to the closer one?” Muku complained.

“Now, now Muku. The reason we’re going there is because it’s one of the better and bigger shrines than the ones we have nearby. We have to get there early or else the shrines will be crowded again…” Ayako replied to her daughter as she prepared more bentos for their trip. 

Early the next morning, they got up early for the trip. Muku woke up feeling grudgingly and asked to sleep a bit longer. Ayako opened the curtains and let the light flash into her daughter’s eyes. 

“Why would you do that for, Mom? Let me sleep…” Muku said as she tried to pull the covers over her face.

Ayako took off the blanket covers quickly off of Muku.

“You can just sleep in the car, Muku. It would be at least a two hour car ride.”

After eating a small meal of eggs and rice, they packed up their kimonos and yukatas and went into the car. The car that Momoki had rented was a small minivan. Muku went into the back of the car, still sleepy while she faced near the window. Akihito brought his camera bag to take photos of his family and Momoki when they got there. From there, they began their journey.

One hour in, Muku kept asking about the time and needing to go to the bathroom. Not too far off, there were changing rooms for kimonos and yukatas for the occasion. Ayako and Muku went into the dressing room for women while Akihito and Momoki went into the male dressing room. 

After they got changed, they went back into the car. Muku was dressed in a flowery kimono, topped with some decorative pins on top of her hair. Strands of ribbons were clamped to the side of her hair. She was holding on to a small purse with a similar ribbon design. Ayako came out in a more simple looking kimono. She wore a dark blue kimono which had simpler lines around her frame and a simple blue hair pin on top of her hair. Momoki and Akihito came out of the male dressing room with their yukatas on. They all went back into the car to finish the rest of the trip. 

Muku dozed off in the car again and continued to ask more questions.

“Why did we have to wake up so early anyway?” Muku moaned. “Isn’t waking up around 8 o’clock in the morning a little too much?” 

“It’s to beat the crowds, Muku,” Akihito replied from the front, “There’s usually a lot of people at the shrines during this time of the year. It would be hard to take photos again.”  
  
“Photos? Is that all you think about, Dad?!” 

Akihito let out a nervous laugh and sighed. They continued driving to their destination. As they reached towards the shrine, the sun shone brighter than ever, as they watched the roads and the other cars that were also going to their location. 

Before they knew it, they reached the shrine. They saw the red torii gate in front of them as they parked to the side. Momoki quickly parked the car on the side of the parking lot and everyone got out in awe. Near them, they were being surrounded by other cars that had parked before them. 

It was the Tsurugi Shrine. The shrine was known to be dedicated to the Warring State period, where the famous ancestors of Oda Nobunaga are said to have been Shinto priests of the shrine and named themselves “Oda”, taking the name of the birthplace. There was a large ancient bell that is a national treasure in Fukui and it was located in the nearby museum next to the shrine. 

Akihito took out his camera bag and put it on himself. They walked towards the torii gate, which had many people inside the shrine area already. They bowed a little before entering into the shrine area. In front of them, there was a lot of chatter and laughter nearby. A line had already formed in front of the main shrine. 

“Might as well get the shrine business done first,” Momoki said, flabbergasted, “After this, we can take some photos before it gets more crowded.”

They went towards the nearby _temizuya_ , a water basin. _Hishaku_ , or ladles, were arranged around the basin. They each took their turn cleansing themselves using the ladles. They rinsed their right and left hands before finally rinsing their mouth and cleaning the ladle before another person uses it. After they were done, they all waited in front of the line that led to the main shrine. Momoki took out some five yen coins to hand out to everyone. 

The wait in line was a bit long but they finally made it. The noise and chatter behind them got louder due to the increasing amount of people coming into the shrine. 

Once they got towards the main shrine, they bowed twice and clapped their hands twice. 

“I pray for my family’s safety,” Akihito said quietly. 

“I pray for all of our wellbeing,” Momoki said softly.

“I pray that everything goes well for us in the future,” Ayako said humbly.

“I pray that I can get into a good high school please,” Muku said worryingly.

After they were done, they all threw the five yen coins into the offering box and bowed again before leaving the main shrine. Another group behind them began to do the same once they left their positions. 

Not far from them was the _omikuji_ box, where people came to get their luck for the upcoming year. Again, there was another line to get their fortune slips as well. Akihito took this opportunity to take some photos while they’re waiting. He took out his camera from his camera bag.

“Hold out your victory signs, everyone,” Akihito said as he positioned his camera.

He took a few snippets before another crowd of people interrupted the photo shoots. Then, they continued to wait in line. Once they got there, they each took a turn at the omikuji box.

“Why don’t you go first, Muku?” Akihito asked, “You’re the youngest here.”

“Fine! I’ll get the best luck out of all of you!” Muku smirked back.

She shook the box before getting a small bamboo strip out from it. She read the serial number and box number and went to get the slip.

“Great Bad Luck: Be wary of those around you. Protect yourself.”

Muku pouted. She ended up getting the worst luck. Up next, Akihito took the omikuji box and shook it before letting out another bamboo strip. He read the serial number and went to find the box.

“Great Fortune: Let your days be full of good bounty and fortune, if you do not fall into temptation.” 

Akihito looked back and forth from the message. At least it said it was great fortune, the highest luck from the other fortunes. Muku looked at Akihito before turning around pretending to ignore him. 

Akihito patted Muku on the head.

“I-It’s okay, Muku. My good luck will help protect you from your bad luck!”

Up next it was Momoki’s turn. He shook the box again and it let out another bamboo shoot. He went to find the serial number and took out the slip from the box.

“Bad Luck: You have the risk of losing your loved ones. Be more vigilant.”

Momoki let out a nervous smile. Muku checked out his slip.

“At least I’m not the only one with bad luck!” she cried.

Lastly, Ayako went to get her fortune slip. She shook the box and took out the bamboo slip. She went to find her serial number and took out a slip from the box.

“Small Fortune: May your family protect you from danger. There is hope.”

Akihito checked her slip. 

“Seems like Mom got the average fortune compared to all of us here,” Akihito said as he put a hand on his chin. 

After some banter between everyone about their fortune slips, they went to tie them onto the rope of the shrine. Akihito then went around to take more photos of the Tsurugi Shrine and its many features. More victory signs were posed as well as some more normal ones. Soon, they all went to eat lunch at a nearby restaurant. 

  
As time flew, they finally went back home. Momoki drove the car while Ayako and Muku were in the back, sleeping from exhaustion. Akihito sat next to Momoki on the side of the passenger seat. The quiet humming of the car continued on. 

“Momoki, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” Akihito said as they watched the road. A few cars were ahead of them. 

“Are you sure about that?” Momoki answered, “Your family is sleeping in the back right now.”

“Pssh, it will be fine. I’ll be quieter,” Akihito answered with a finger to his mouth. 

The sun was starting to set, creating a scenery filled with red, orange and yellows around the car. The shadows around them turned bleak and dark. The quiet breathing of Akihito’s family gave the two of them a sense of liveliness. 

Akihito’s face suddenly turned gloomy.

“Why do you think these things happen to me, Momoki? First my daughter and now my wife. Did I do something wrong?”

Momoki paused for a moment, sighing.

“Narihisago, I don’t know what to answer. Didn’t your fortune slip mention great luck? You will be fine.”

“Really? It feels like I angered some kami or something.”

“Don’t overthink too much about it. There probably is a reason for it.”

“What kind of reason?”

“Probably fate. Maybe you are fated to have something happen to you. I’m not sure if I can explain it to you right, Narihisago.”

Akihito put his hand to his chin again. It reminded him of Kiki and her antics about foreseeing the future in her dreams and getting killed. Maybe it would be worth talking to her again. 

“Maybe I should visit Asukai-san with you again, Momoki,” he said, “She might have an answer.”

Momoki smiled back a bit before looking in front of the road again. 

“Sure thing, Narihisago. I can plan another date for us to go visit her…”

The sunset continued setting ahead of them. The New Year’s celebration has ended for them as they continue moving forward. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the first full case! There will be a total of 10 cases in this story, 6 from anime (revamped or adjusted to fit plot) and 4 BRAND NEW cases! 
> 
> Stay tuned!
> 
> Editor Credit goes to Akaido and Main Beta Reader Raido from Discord.


	5. Muku's School Cultural Festival

File 5: Muku’s School Cultural Festival

  


In the musty corner of the Fukui Police Department, Akihito and Momoki were in the back organizing case files and documents for a couple cases going on. The director in the department had asked for some volunteers in organizing their cases and to check up on the unsolved ones. 

Momoki was busy organizing the case files by years while Akihito was skimming through each file to check up on their information. Certain cases needed more information to be added to their record files due to new evidence and technology. 

In the corner, Akihito found another case file that was from the year 2016. He opened the folder to find out it was the Challenger case. He skimmed through all the details, especially the part with himself getting involved. It wasn’t a pretty picture.

“What are you doing looking into the files, Narihisago? We need to finish soon before the sun goes down!” Momoki said in the back.

“Sorry. I’ll get back to it,” Akihito said, flustered. He quickly took the case file and moved it into another shelf. 

The two of them continued working as the day went on. It was already fall, with the leaves changing color, ranging from reds, yellows and oranges. The year had kept them busy, giving them less time to plan activities and gatherings. Akihito had not made time to visit Kiki as he kept forgetting. 

This time, Momoki asked Akihito for a time.

“Narihisago, when will you plan time to visit Asukai-san with me? You haven’t forgotten again haven’t you?”

“W-Well I already took a few days off work to go to Muku’s school festival,” said Narihisago, placing down a file. “Her class is planning some interesting things and I would want to take some photos there…”

Momoki paused for a moment.

“So you have time for your daughter but not for me?”

“Momoki, I’m not that cruel. I’ll think about it and make time for us to visit Asukai-san, I promise!” 

Momoki looked back at Akihito in disgrace and doubt.

“You said that many times already. I’ll make you visit her whether you like it or not!”

After much bickering, they decided on a time and place to meet. As they finished organizing the files and shelves with the cases, the window in the room they were working in showed the sun setting in front of them. 

When the day arrived, Akihito and Momoki met up to visit Kiki again at the hospital. The autumn leaves sprinkled all over the building and outside gave the whole area a calming and cool atmosphere. Before they walked in, Akihito tapped Momoki on the back about something inside his bag.

“What did you bring, Narihisago?”

Akihito allowed Momoki to peek into his bag. It showed a small box of cookies.

“I thought it would be nice to bring something this time. It seemed rude of me last time to not bring anything with me. Do you think Asukai-san would like them?”

Momoki let out a laugh. Akihito became very confused.

“What is it, Momoki? Did I do something wrong?”

“No no, I think it’s sweet. Asukai-san would surely appreciate it.” 

The two of them walked into the hospital and got a call into her room. They went in to find Kiki sitting upright on her bed again, lost in thought. Her hands and face were covered with more bandages than ever, as if she had harmed herself. Akihito seemed a bit startled by it, but Momoki meanwhile seemed unsurprised. He had tried to stop her from trying to hurt herself the last few times that he visited. 

She looked back at them with dead sullen eyes.

“So what brings you here again, Momoki-san? Ah I see you brought someone here today.”

It seemed like she had forgotten about Akihito and his last visit there. After all, it has been at least a year and a half since the Challenger. She winced a bit once she saw Akihito’s face and turned back towards the window.

“What? Do you not remember me? It’s me, Akihito Narihisago. I’m Momoki-san’s friend and co-worker.”

Momoki patted Akihito on the back and whispered about giving her the cookies that he had brought. Akihito quickly took out the box of cookies and handed it to Kiki.

“Here, I brought you some cookies, hope you like them.”

But as Kiki was about to take the cookie box he gave her, her eyes suddenly turned wide and scared. She grabbed Akihito’s cookie box and threw it at the window, which caused the box to crinkle from the pressure. Kiki started to scream at the imaginary threat and grabbed her pillow, starting to thrash at the air. A nurse quickly came in to stop Kiki from frightening the visitors and apologized to them frantically. 

“I’m so sorry this had to happen while you two were visiting her! Please leave and let us handle this!” the nurse cried. 

Akihito was a bit freaked out by Kiki’s reaction and her fear in her eyes. Momoki felt bad that Akihito had to witness Kiki’s hallucinations and fear. They both started to get up and leave when Kiki grabbed Akihito’s hand, her arms clinging desperately for help.

“S-Save me, Narihisago-san…” she said with tears in her eyes. Her weak form showed more with more scars and bandages over her body. 

Akihito felt helpless as he looked into her dreary eyes. The nurse tried to shoo the two of them away from Kiki again. He slowly removed her hands away from his and left quietly, looking back at her desperation. Momoki was on the side, scratching his head and unsure of what they had done to cause this. Before Akihito could look back any further, Momoki grabbed his arms and forcefully took him outside the hospital room. 

“What was that all about, Momoki? What happened to Asukai-san?” Akihito asked, bewildered. His face was full of shock and horror. 

Momoki looked back at Akihito and sighed. They had planned for a good time to cheer Kiki up but she ended up having her hallucinations again. The two of them slowly walked back from the hospital, shaken up by Kiki’s behavior. 

A few days later, Akihito prepared himself to go to Muku’s middle school. He took his camera bag and wore more casual clothes in order to move around. Quickly grabbing his thick jacket, he left the house with his camera bag and other necessities. Ayako would be coming to the school later on due to some business she had to work out. 

It was late morning when Akihito walked into the school outskirts. There were many food stalls and events being prepared as he walked around. Many students were running around, preparing supplies and materials needed for many different performances and exhibitions. Other people had also begun coming into the school from outside, ready to enjoy the school’s festivities and events. 

Akihito walked into the school building and took off his shoes and put on some guest slippers in the corner. He walked around the school and was greeted by some teachers. 

“Welcome! Are you one of the students’ parents?” a teacher asked.

“Well, I’m looking for Muku. I think you know her as Narihisago-kun?” Akihito asked back. 

“Oh surely. We’re still setting up some exhibitions and cafes but you are welcome to look around. There’s some art and photo galleries on the 3rd floor.”

Akihito thanked the teachers and walked on his way. But before he went to check up on the art and photo galleries, he snuck away to look for Muku’s homeroom. Muku’s class was in room A-3, due to Muku being a third-year middle school student. As he slowly walked around the school, the chatter of students preparing got louder and louder. Without paying attention, he bumped into a few students who were walking around chattering about the upcoming events.

“Oh! Are you one of our classmates’ parents?” one of them asked.

“Y-Yes, I’m looking for Muku Narihisago-san. Is she around here?” 

“Nari-chan? Oh, it seems she’s busy with the maid café right now.”

Akihito’s eyes lit up. So Muku’s class has been doing a maid café after all. She hadn’t told him at all about her activities but had been buying a lot of fabric and materials to make things with her friends lately. After thanking them, he walked closer to Muku’s homeroom, where there was chitter chatter going around inside. 

“Dad! What are you doing here?!” Muku cried out upon noticing him. She pushed him out of the classroom. They were still finishing up the banner for their café name. It read EGGY. 

Akihito was surprised by Muku, but she had a point. Before he left, he saw a glimpse of Muku preparing her maid outfit for their class’s café. It had simple frills on it to give it a cute appearance. He then left the classroom and walked up the stairs towards the 3rd floor.

After he climbed up, he saw a glimpse of the art galleries and photo displays that the middle school had presented. Looking around, he saw other adults near him browsing the galleries as well. There were paintings, still life and digital artwork. Among the photo galleries being displayed, Akihito noticed his daughter’s name on one of them. 

It was a photo of her room, full of different folders and supplies. She had done a few photo shoots of her personal belongings for the club. The angles on her photo were a bit wonky and blurry but it looked like she had tried to fix up her photo using a digital editing program to make it look more palatable. Akihito let out a small laugh before he took his camera out.

“That’s so sweet. Muku didn’t tell me that she’s also working on photos too.”

He snapped a few shots of Muku’s works in the art and photo galleries before returning back to the classrooms. The maid café had just opened and there were a few customers already. Muku was dressed up in her maid outfit, taking up orders from other classmates as well as some adults and parents who were there. 

“So one omurice, one strawberry drink and one egg sandwich?”

“Yes, please.”

Muku took their orders and brought it to the nearby register, where the other students were in the back preparing meals and drinks. Akihito waited in line to get seating as the other people waited for an opening. Muku saw Akihito staring at her and pretended to ignore him while she did her duties as a waitress. After a while, it was Akihito’s turn to be seated.

“A seat for one, please,” Akihito said.

Muku came towards Akihito and gave him a seat in the classroom. She took out one of the menus and handed it to him. It was full of dishes made from eggs. 

“Oh, so your class is doing an egg-themed café Muku?”

“What does it look like to you? Of course it is! Make up your mind with your order and I’ll be right back.”

Muku left to get some water for Akihito and went to seat the others waiting in line. Akihito took a sip from the water cup and looked around the classroom turned café. Many other female students were dressed like Muku while the boys were wearing waiter uniforms instead. A few moments later, Muku came back to take his order.

“I’ll like one omurice and one flan, please.”

Muku wrote down Akihito’s orders and left. While waiting, Akihito looked around the classroom. Nearby a few of Muku’s friends were talking to her. They were also wearing their waitress maid outfits for the café. Many other adults were coming and leaving the café, and were talking to their children as well. The atmosphere seemed pleasant and heartwarming. 

After a couple minutes, Akihito’s omurice and flan were ready. Muku put the dishes on the table and was about to leave again before stopping. She turned her back towards Akihito.

“So, where is Mom right now? Is she coming?”

“Mom said that she will come here later today,” Akihito answered as he took a bite of the food. “It’s okay, Muku. You have plenty of time to hang out with your friends while I’m checking out the school festivities.”

Muku smiled a bit and then left to get the other customers. Akihito quickly ate his omurice and flan and drank the water. He got up and left Muku’s classroom café, waving at Muku as he left. Not too far from him, another class was presenting another exhibition:  
  
_Obake yashiki_. A haunted house attraction.

There was already a line being formed to get in. Class B-3 had presented themselves for a more Halloween-themed attraction for the cultural festival. They had set up ghouls and traditional Japanese monsters inside the classroom and had extended some doors that connected to the other classes into one makeshift route. The passageways seemed long but it didn’t stop people from walking into the area. 

Akihito waited in line until he started to have an uneasy feeling. It felt like someone was watching him. The crowds of people coming in and out made it hard to pinpoint anyone. But before he could move, he got tapped on the shoulder. Startled, Akihito looked back, ready to fight.

“Dad! It’s just me, Muku! I’m done changing out of the maid outfit. What are you doing?” 

Muku seemed annoyed by Akihito’s reaction. She was with her two friends who were right next to her. They introduced themselves. 

“Hello! My name is Miyako Uchida. I’m one of Muku’s classmates in A-3 and one of her friends!” 

Another friend also introduced herself. 

“My name is Sakura Nishimi. Nice to meet you, Mister Narihisago-san!” 

Akihito was baffled by their introductions. Muku seemed a bit embarrassed but she allowed them. He chuckled and asked what they were doing. It seemed like they were going into the haunted house attraction as a dare. 

“I’m not scared! I can do this with you two!” Muku huffed. She looked back at Akihito for some encouragement but Akihito was too much in a daze to pay attention. 

Akihito looked back at Muku and smiled. He offered her some support.

“How about you come with me to the haunted house, Muku? I can protect you from those ghouls and monsters.” 

Muku blushed and pushed Akihito away some more. The line moved again as more people got out of the haunted house attraction. 

“No, No, I’m fine. Dad, just go into the haunted house yourself. I don’t need your help,” Muku said, a bit embarrassed. “I have my friends with me and we’ll come out of it faster than you instead!”

Akihito laughed again but he agreed. He had to let Muku learn things herself. Her own fears. But she has support. She has her friends. 

“Are you up next, sir?”

Akihito looked back to find a student in front of the haunted house entrance, asking if more people would go into the attraction. He happened to come up to the front while he wasn’t paying attention. He looked up at the sign and read: 

“Class B-3’s Haunted House Attraction: 500 yen per visit.”  
  
He took out some yen coins and gave it to the student who was monitoring their attraction. It was Akihito’s time to prove himself and show that he isn’t scared as well. But before he went in, he had an idea.

“Why don’t you go first, Muku? You have your friends with you.”

Muku looked back and forth between her friends and Akihito, unsure what to do. After a few minutes of quick discussion, they agreed to Akihito’s request. Akihito paid for the three of them to go ahead of him. 

“Good luck, Muku!” Akihito waved as they went in. Muku looked back at him with an irritating glare but followed her friends in.

The student who had asked Akihito then stopped him and made him wait until they were inside for a certain amount of time. As Akihito waited, he felt the uneasy sensation again. It was as if a few eyes were watching him. He looked around, but there was nobody suspicious near him. Just groups of families and the students together hanging around going all over the place to the school’s many attractions and festivities. 

“Are you going in or not, sir?”

Akihito snapped out of his daze again and saw the student at the entrance being confused. 

“Sorry about that. I’ll go in…” 

Akihito slowly went into the haunted house attraction. It was dimly lit and seemed to have all the makings of a typical scary attraction. Creepy decorations littered the rooms and passageways. Constructed marks of disorganized desks were made to give a feeling of distress and confusion. A few makeshift dolls dressed as students were also laying on the desks, as if waiting for the visitors to come closer. Other people followed behind him as the line moved forward. 

Up ahead of him was some girl lying with her head down. Her cluttered black hair hid her face, but she was holding something else. A head. Her blood stained dress made the dimly lit room even more eerie. A few people behind Akihito screamed. 

“Oh, it’s just a _yurei_ , a ghost,” Akihito said, a little startled. 

The yurei moved around the room, trying to scare them with her blood stained dress and a bloodied head. The student seemed to be trying her best to scare them but Akihito reacted more surprised than scared. He heard a few screams up ahead of him. One of them was Muku’s. 

In the next room, Akihito goes into an emptier room, this time full of bodies laid down on the floor. The red stains on their clothes seemed made to resemble blood. He moved forward a bit, while a few people went ahead of him. As he kept going, something grabbed his leg. 

“Wow, this immersion is pretty decent.”

More people screamed as the figure who grabbed him was one of the students lying on the floor, covered up in fake blood and bandages. They let go of his leg before hiding back into the corner to scare the next upcoming visitors coming into the room. Akihito’s bland reaction to the scares surprised the other students as they failed to startle him as much as the other people behind him. 

After a while, Akihito felt another pair of eyes watching him. This time it didn't seem to be from the student actors all over the haunted house attraction trying to scare him. It seemed to be someone behind him, but the room was too dark to see anything clearly. He slowly navigated another room of the haunted house, this time the room being bare. Akihito continued walking and noticed some hands coming out of the corners of the room. More people screamed. 

When Akihito made it out of the haunted house attraction, Muku was waiting outside for him alone. She seemed a bit bored and bothered by her friends. He went towards her and asked where they went. 

“They just went to the other places with their families. It’s fine, Dad. So, did you see me not being scared?” Muku asked, grinning.

Akihito remembered Muku’s scream in front of him but kept quiet.

“Sure, we can go with that.”

Akihito looked back towards the haunted house exit, and thought about the feeling of being watched. He was unsure if it was just the attraction’s dimly lit rooms that caused those feelings and the student actors startling him or if it was genuine. It felt frightening, but Akihito made himself ignore it. He had Muku with him right now and he didn't want to scare her. 

The two of them went outside the school building and towards the food stalls selling varieties of treats and food. It was late afternoon, and more lines were forming around the food stalls. Muku and Akihito went to a bench to rest. 

“Dad, I’ll get us some food for us,” Muku said, “You gave me some money for the festival already so wait here.”

She ran off into the food stall lines, especially those selling takoyaki and yakisoba. Akihito looked around him and saw hordes of people coming in and out of the school festival. It was getting livelier every minute. He got out his camera bag that he had on with him and looked around for some nice scenery. As he walked around near the area, a few students and teachers commented on his looks.

“Is that man a photographer? That child must be lucky!”

A random student also asked if Akihito was a freelance photographer. Seemed like his camera bag seemed a bit too much for being a hobbyist. He answered some questions back and said that he was waiting for his daughter to come back from the food stalls. After talking to some students and teachers, Muku came back with some takoyaki, yakisoba and some green tea drinks from the vending machines. She seemed confused by her father attracting some random students and teachers towards him.

“It’s fine, Muku. They just confused me for a photographer that was supposed to shoot their events and exhibitions,” Akihito said as he ate a bite of takoyaki.

Muku ate her yakisoba and stared back at him. The two of them enjoyed their meal and looked around the school. Muku took their trash and threw it away in a nearby food waste bin for the festival. After walking around the school area, they came into a crowd of people waiting for something. It seemed to be for a music event. 

“Wait here, Dad. There’s some stuff I need to do really quick,” Muku said, “Some classmates asked me for help to grab some supplies for the music event.”

“Go ahead, Muku. I can wait.”

Akihito checked his phone. It read 14:00 (2:00pm). Ayako’s work was nearly done by then, so she would be coming to the festival soon.. He looked around him as everyone all over the school chattered and laughed. The smell of food wafted through the air as the food stalls were peppered with long lines of hungry visitors and their families. He smiled a bit and enjoyed himself. 

An intense feeling again. 

Akihito quickly looked around him for anyone suspicious, but again, there were too many people to pinpoint anybody looking different. He scratched his head, unsure of himself. He went over the corners of the areas that he had been to but there was nobody. Akihito walked back to the music event entrance, waiting for Muku to return. He dozed off for a while. 

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, someone tapped his shoulder. Akihito opened his eyes and freaked out. 

“Dad? Why do you seem so startled all of a sudden?”

Akihito looked back at Muku and noticed someone beside her. It was Ayako. Muku happened to find Ayako coming into the school entrance while she went out to get something for the music students. Ayako chuckled a bit at his reaction.  
  
“No, no. It’s nothing, Muku,” Akihito replied, a bit flustered. 

“So you’re more scared of us touching you than the haunted house attraction? That’s weird.” 

Akihito didn’t dare mention the feeling of being watched by his family. He pretended to laugh and went with them towards the music event. Akihito distracted himself with his family, taking many photos to commemorate the activities they did and the events they went to. 

He didn’t say a word.

  
A week after the festival, Akihito was at work showing his co-workers his photos from the school festival. Some of the people in the division were annoyed by Akihito constantly showing his family to everyone. Momoki came into work and asked how the festival went:

“Narihisago, it looks like you had a good time.”

“Definitely! This time I made sure to take a shot of Muku in her maid outfit. She was one of the waitresses for their maid café.” 

Momoki smiled and looked over Akihito’s photos. Everything seemed normal. Some photos were close-ups, such as Muku’s exaggerated faces and Ayako just smiling. Other shots were pose shots, and others taken by other people to show the three of them doing their victory signs. However, something seemed strange.

“Narihisago, was someone watching you?”

Akihito stopped smiling and looked back at Momoki, a bit worried. 

“What do you mean, Momoki?”

“Look, there’s someone in some of your photos. It’s a bit blurry but they’re wearing hooded clothes and watching you.” Momoki pointed to the person in one of the photos. “It’s very difficult to make out their faces due to their camouflage and the amount of people in the background of your photographs.”

Akihito went quiet. His intuition was right. Someone was watching him after all, although it seemed more like observing his family as well. There had been a couple different eyes watching him while he went about the school festivities. He put his hand to his chin and thought to himself. 

Could it be related to the Challenger case he dealt with one year and a half ago? 

Momoki seemed concerned, but didn’t talk about Akihito’s photographs afterward, trying to lessen the tension of fear and worry. 

  
One month later, Akihito awoke to the ringing of his phone. He was in bed with Ayako discussing things such as their family budget, future promotions and Muku’s future. He took his phone from the drawer next to him and checked. 

It was Momoki. 

Akihito took the call and answered. 

“What is it, Momoki?”

Momoki was on the other end of the line, worried and confused. His breathing seemed a bit shallow, as if something bad had happened.

Because something did.

“N-Narihisago, Asukai-san disappeared. There were 13 nurses who were left in a coma and only 9 of them woke up.”

Akihito stayed silent on the response.

“Sorry for calling so late, Narihisago. Did Asukai-san say anything to you before her disappearance? I know you wanted to ask her about dreams before…”

Akihito remembered Kiki’s face of fear and worry when she grabbed his hand the last time he went. He wasn’t sure if that was what Momoki was looking for. After all, Momoki was the one who took care of her while he barely visited her. 

“Kiki-san didn’t say anything to me, Momoki. I don’t think she knows me well compared to you.”

“O-Okay. I’m so sorry for the intrusion, Narihisago. I’m just worried. She was in no condition to be able to move. Something must have happened.”

“Are you okay, Momoki? You sound worried.”

“I-I’m fine, Narihisago. If it’s not too much for you, do you mind helping me investigate her disappearance? I smell something suspicious going on here…”

Akihito thought for a moment about Momoki’s favor. He looked back at Ayako, who seemed concerned about their well-being. Akihito closed his eyes:

“Of course, Momoki. I’ll help you look for Asukai-san.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things seem to be ramping up. No more happy endings for now. 
> 
> Editor Credits go to Akaido and Main Beta Reader Raido from Discord.


	6. The Face Lifter (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Full Case (Part 1 and Part 2)

File 6: The Face Lifter (Part 1)

  


_I opened my eyes again, seeing a blurry figure. It was the ghost girl again, her face blurred out as she stared at me in her blood-stained dress. The atmosphere around me smelled of blood again, giving me nausea. I picked myself up from the ground and saw my family on the ground near me._

_Their faces were peeled off, leaving bits of bone and meat on their faces._

Akihito woke up again, sweating. He covered himself up in bed as he turned around to see his wife Ayako sleeping beside him. 

Quickly getting out of bed, he got dressed up for work, alas a bit startled. Ayako turned around to see her husband rushing out of the room as she laid there. 

“Did Aki-kun have another bad dream again?”

But Akihito ignored her response, making Ayako feel alone and confused in the bedroom. 

  
A few hours later, Akihito was rushing to work with crowds of people walking all over the place. The streets and traffic aligned itself into chaos, with cars and people forming a pattern of unison. As he frantically walked trying to get to his destination, he crashed into someone. Akihito fell to the floor and so did the other person. 

He noticed a piece of toast from her mouth, and that she was wearing a pink flowery hairpin. She picked herself back up before rushing back into the crowds. The last thing Akihito noticed was that she was short, as her height made her seem small among the tall crowds. Seeing her, it reminded Akihito of Muku. 

“I wonder if she’s a middle schooler…” Akihito muttered.

Akihito walked into work with Momoki greeting him back. His face had become sullen and worried since Kiki’s disappearance. Momoki worked tirelessly trying to find clues on her, but it all resulted in dead ends and failure so far. Akihito let out a nervous smile and patted him on the back. 

“So what case is it this time, Momoki?”

Momoki took out some documents from his folder, which contained this week’s case. It was the Face Lifter, a serial killer who was known to peel the victim’s faces off with a drill and other tools. It left their faces with a skeletal shape and bloody gruesome imagery. As they examined the file, everyone seemed to be chattering about something. The little hum in the noises that the heater made inside the building gave the whole atmosphere a sense of peace and tranquility. 

“Narihisago, we’re going to partner up with the field analysts in this case,” Momoki said as he picked up one of the file’s documents. “Seems like the First Division isn’t enough to capture him yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that we’ll be having another meeting again.”

Akihito looked through the Face Lifter’s case files and skimmed the details. So far, the victims were all women of different ages and discovered dead in many different locations throughout Fukui. The photos of the crimes and the murders gave Akihito a bit of nausea as it reminded him of his dream. He put the folder down and quickly went to get a small drink of water from the water fountain.

“Are you okay, Narihisago?”

“I-I’m fine, Momoki.”

The two of them prepared for the meeting that they would have with the field analysts. After lunch, they got their documents and notebooks ready for the Face Lifter meeting. The meeting was about how their planning would work and they would try predicting his next movements. 

Out came the presenter. He looked gruff and seemed to be a man that appeared to be a worn-out veteran. He had a scar on his left eyebrow. He was wearing large trimmed rectangular glasses and had white hair sticking in front of his frontal hair. A small board and a digital screen was shown behind him.

“We welcome Kokuryu Matsuoka-san, a lead field analyst in the Police Department,” said an assistant, who was helping Matsuoka with his presentations and guidelines. “He will show us how we will work together in order to predict the Face Lifter’s next murder and how to capture him.”

Matsuoka looked around the room and noticed Akihito and Momoki sitting together. They had their notebooks out and were waiting for his presentation. He let out a sigh and began:

“I’m here to present to everyone what we shall do with this unresolved serial killer case. It seems that all of you have just come back not long from your New Year’s holidays this year. However, it is late January right now, and almost February. We must get a move on from this case and resolve it before the Face Lifter commits another murder…”

Akihito looked back and forth from the presenter to the rest of the members listening around him. Matsuoka gave him a glare before continuing on with his speech.

“Just so you know, the locations of the bodies have been found all over Fukui City these past few months. Due to the discrepancy, we don’t know when and where the next murder would take place. So in this case, we would all be split up into many different groups based on location. Since the First Division has asked us field analysts to help you with your investigation, we shall comply and give everyone their grouped pairings later on..”

Momoki wrote down some notes to think about for the Face Lifter case. 

“Everyone will be given a copy of the police records and case files for this investigation. We are under a time constraint due to the discrepancies between the bodies being found and their locations. We believe that there could be accomplices involved. Please be careful…”

After a few hours of the meeting, everyone got out for break. Akihito and Momoki came out of the meeting a bit exhausted and tired. Matsuoka kept glaring in their direction the whole time. Momoki felt a bit uneasy and felt sick too.

“Narihisago, I need to go to the restroom real quick. Can you wait for me?”

“Sure, I’ll wait.”

Not long after, more First Division members walked past Akihito, with some of them ignoring him and others seemingly annoyed. Matsuoka slowly came up to Akihito and stopped in his tracks. Akihito looked back at him in dismay.

“What is it, Matsuoka-san? You didn’t need to look at us so intently while doing your speech…”

Matsuoka cleared his throat before he gave an answer.

“Narihisago-san, I got something important to tell you.”

Akihito’s eyes lit up, a bit unsure on what he was about to say.

“Do you view Momoki-san as a friend?”

Akihito became confused by his question.

“What? What do you mean by that? Of course he is my friend!”

Matsuoka seemed to look distressed and sad from Akihito’s answer. He looked away at Akihito’s confused expression before letting out a sigh. He then turned back towards Akihito with a more serious expression.

“If you are his friend, why do you allow him to burden himself with you? Aren’t you also an adult? You should make your own decisions.”

“What are you talking about, Matsuoka-san? I didn’t cause Momoki-san any trouble…”

“No trouble? Are you really sure? You truly don’t see your own actions.”

Matsuoka then turned away from Akihito and walked back towards the meeting room, due to break time being over soon. Momoki came out of the restroom long after, only to see Akihito’s saddened face. He was confused by Matsuoka’s words. 

Was he really being a burden to Momoki? 

“Narihisago? Did something happen?” Momoki asked, a bit concerned.

Akihito turned back towards Momoki and let out a nervous smile.

“It’s nothing. We should go back towards the meeting room soon. Break is almost over.”

Akihito and Momoki went back to their seating as the meeting continued throughout the day. But, right before the meeting was over, Matsuoka came over to their table to tell them their pairings for the case investigation for the next few days. 

“Narihisago-san and Momoki-san, you two are separated for this case investigation.”

“What? Why?” Akihito asked, even more confused.

“Why do you need to separate us, Matsuoka-san? We have always been together in the past few cases and did fine…” Momoki said. He was surprised by Matsuoka’s actions.

“This is _teamwork_. A detective is _supposed_ to be paired with a field analyst. Is there any reason against it? Or is there another complaint about the arrangements?” 

Before they could reply, Matsuoka took out some of Akihito’s case files from his own folder. He started to list some of Akihito’s past actions on his cases. 

“Akihito Narihisago-san, you almost died nearly two years ago. The 2016 Challenger incident had you hospitalized due to self-defense and fatal injury. Why didn’t you call for nearby help from the apartment unit? Why did you have to go alone against the serial killer? It would have been too dangerous.” 

“B-But I did call for help. I called Momoki-san before I went in,” Akihito said, thinking back and feeling sick reminiscing that time. 

“Matsuoka-san! You didn’t need to reveal that to everyone!” Momoki interrupted. “He managed to save his daughter in time! Isn’t this a bit inconsiderate?” 

Matsuoka looked back at the police file. He glared towards Akihito before turning back to Momoki. 

“This is from the police record case files, Momoki-san. I didn’t reveal anything personal. This is about Narihisago-san’s behavior. This is not how a police officer should act against a serial killer.” 

Momoki seemed distressed and concerned, but there was no other way to defend Akihito. 

“Momoki-san, you also allowed Narihisago-san to leave mid investigation during the Challenger’s home investigation. What made you do that? Is this because of something personal between you two?” 

Momoki flinched a bit before being silent. He had allowed Akihito to go due to his intuition. Although he shouldn’t have done so, it had turned out to be right. 

“But Narihisago-san leaving let us find the Challenger’s location. Don’t dig too deep into this old case, Matsuoka-san!” Momoki muttered angrily. “What do you have against him?”

“Momoki-san. That could have easily been coincidence,” Matsuoka replied, putting the case file away. “Narihisago-san’s behavior seems too reckless for a police officer. You may have contributed in encouraging his actions.”

Matsuoka then took out another case file from his folder. This time, it was the 2017 New Year’s Pyrotechnician case. 

“You two were also in this case as well, as extras,” Matsuoka said, “Getting involved with the Second Division was a bit forceful I might say.”

“My wife was inside the building, Matsuoka-san! I can’t just do nothing!” Akihito cried. “That was more personal…”

“Your family seems involved in these case files. That’s kind of unfortunate.” Matsuoka then turned towards Momoki again. “As for you, letting Narihisago-san set off the traps made the aftermath investigation more delayed in finding clues due to them being blown away or destroyed by the rubble and fallout. You two were also together while you were leading the survivors out of the building.”

“Is that a good thing or bad thing?” Momoki asked. “What are you on about?”

“Seems like even being together has some consequences as well, Momoki-san. The 2nd Division Chief hasn’t taken a liking to Narihisago-san since that case. It would be better for both of you to be separated this case investigation.” 

Momoki seemed frustrated but didn't say anymore. Matsuoka was harsh, but he had a point. It seemed like Akihito’s behavior involving serial killers may have made him more reckless than usual, but there was the bias of his family being involved. 

“So for your pairings…Narihisago-san, you are paired with someone named Koharu Hondomachi-san. You will see her when you get paired up on the case tomorrow.”

“I’m sure Narihisago-san would do fine with another partner for a change. You didn’t need to be so harsh about it, Matsuoka-san.” He tried to keep his remaining composure. “So who's my paired partner?” Momoki muttered.

“It’s me, Momoki-san. I’ll be your partner for this case.”

Momoki was a bit shocked by Matsuoka’s answer. It seemed like Matsuoka might use this opportunity for more private conversations apart from investigating the Face Lifter case. After a few minutes of silence, Momoki complied. 

“No complaints on the arrangements? Good. I’ll now pair everyone else now,” Matsuoka said as he left Akihito and Momoki dumbfounded at their table. 

After an hour or two of waiting, everyone in First Division had been paired with a field analyst in their department. The meeting was over. 

Akihito and Momoki walked outside the building, the cold breeze still hitting them. They walked along the side of the building, their breaths leaving trails of mist behind them. Momoki tried to calm Akihito down.

“Man, Matsuoka-san didn’t need to be this harsh to you, Narihisago. You will do fine even though we are separated in this case.” Momoki gave him a reassuring expression. “We’ll just be in different locations to skirt out the areas where the victims were found. You can always call me if you need something…” 

Akihito was quiet for a bit and looked wary. He didn’t want to bother Momoki even more than needed. Matsuoka could be right in that he was causing Momoki issues with the other departments due to his actions.

“I’m fine, Momoki. He might have a point,” Akihito said, covering his mouth, “I’ll do my best to not cause any more trouble again.” 

The two men then said their farewells as they went their separate ways home. Akihito came back home just in time for Ayako’s lecture on Muku being late to cram school. Muku was on the other end of the living room, with looks of regret and worry. 

“Muku! You were late again? It’s been going on for weeks now! Don’t you want to go to a good high school?” Ayako said hastily, “If you keep being late to cram school, your high school options are going to be limited!”

Akihito came to ask what had happened. 

“Aki-kun, the cram school called again today! What should we do?”

“Maybe Muku might have a reason for it. We might have a talk later about her future and what high schools she wants to go to…” 

Muku had a sullen look on her face, full of sadness and fear. She seemed to be hiding something. Akihito’s face appeared worrisome, but he said nothing. He went back to his room to take off his work clothes and change into casuals. 

The house stayed silent while they ate dinner. Muku was eating slowly as she moved around her curry rice plate. She looked at Akihito desperately.

“D-Dad, there’s something I need to tell you…”

Akihito looked back at her in surprise. The silence had been awkward since Muku got lectured and the atmosphere was tense. Ayako was looking at the two of them fiercely with a bit of worry and sadness. 

“What is it?”

Muku winced a bit before covering her mouth.

“I-It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later…”

Later that night, Akihito went to sleep again with his wife.

_I opened my eyes. It was the same place as I was last time. The ghost girl was still there with her face blurred out. I looked back at myself, already standing from the last encounter._

_On the floor was my family dead again, their faces still peeled apart by something. I saw pieces of skin flayed around on the corner of their skeletal faces as they laid there. There was a drill not far from their bodies…_

_But before I could get closer to the drill, the ghost girl slowly approached me, and all faded to black…_

“Aki-kun? AKI-KUN!” 

Akihito was in bed flinching, and crying in his sleep. Tears were rolled all over his eyes. Ayako was touching his shoulders trying to get him to tell her what was wrong. Akihito opened his eyes again and saw Ayako’s worried face looking right back at him.

“Aki-kun, are you alright? You have been having a lot of bad dreams lately.”

Akihito covered his face with the blanket and wiped off his tears. He didn't say anything. 

“Aki-kun, you can always tell me your dreams. Did it have to do with us being dead? Everything is going to be okay.” 

A silence followed. Akihito looked back at Ayako in heartbrokenness and fear. He moved around and looked up at the ceiling again. The sun was slowly shining out of the window near them. He checked the clock near them. It read 6:30. It was time to go to work again.

He got out of bed. He looked back at Ayako’s worried face and answered:

“Aya-chan, it’s something that you shouldn’t worry about. I’ll be okay.”

“But Aki-kun, you were crying out in your sleep…I really think you should tel-“  
  
But Akihito had already closed the bedroom door behind him to get dressed quickly in another room.

  
After getting to work, Akihito walked into the Fukui Police Department building and saw Momoki waiting by the doorway. He came closer towards Akihito to give him a message:

“Narihisago, I know that we’ll be separated during this case investigation. I took a look inside to see who your partner is going to be like. Hondomachi-san seems like the kind of person in which things will work out for you.”

“Momoki, I know what you mean.” He gave his friend a determined look. “I guess I’ll just have to prove that I can work with other people well. I’ll prove Matsuoka-san wrong.”

After everyone was together, Matsuoka came out again to order everyone’s locations. There was a team of field analysts and detectives standing side by side. Akihito was wondering about his new partner and was looking around. Matsuoka was ordering everyone’s locations nearby. 

“Narihisago-san, you and Hondomachi-san are going to the neighborhood areas.”

Then Akihito’s partner came into view. She was a petite woman, but seemed to dress professionally. Her pink eyes glittered as she wore a flowery pink hairpin on top of her short black hair. A short ahoge stuck out of her hair. Her business suit was tidied up with a pink tie to match her outfit. She walked with a short skirt and tights as she came into view. Akihito assumed that she would be wearing heels but surprised that she wore flats. 

She looked oddly familiar. 

“Wait, aren’t you that middle schooler I bumped into the other day?” Akihito blurted out.

“What? What made you think that? I’m not _that_ short!” Hondomachi cried out. “Is this how you see me? We just met!”

Akihito covered his mouth. He really didn’t really mean that. 

“No, no. I meant that you reminded me of my daughter, Muku. I-It’s nothing really. I probably didn’t see you clearly that time…” Akihito said as he scratched his head. 

Hondomachi crossed her arms in dismay, confused by Akihito’s words. Everyone was slowly getting into pairs and additionally teamed up with others towards their locations. Momoki and Matsuoka weren’t too far from them, preparing for their own locations. 

“Well, um…middle schooler…”

Hondomachi quickly stomped on his foot, causing him a bit of pain. His face twitched in response to her action. 

“Just call me Hondomachi-san,” she said as she put her hands on her hips. “I probably didn’t introduce myself properly. My name is Koharu Hondomachi. I’m 22 years old and a field analyst in training. I work under Matsuoka-san as part of the field analyst team.”

Akihito’s eyes lit up. He thought for a moment before Hondomachi poked him to interrupt his train of thought.

“Man, the way Matsuoka-san talked about you made you sound like a buffoon. How about you introduce yourself to me as well, to be more official?”

“But didn’t you hear from Matsuoka-san about me being your partner already?”

“Come on, it’s courtesy,” Hondomachi said as she elbowed Akihito, trying to get him to speak again. “I’m your partner for this case investigation after all.”

Akihito cleared up his throat and then began his introduction:

“My name is Akihito Narihisago. I’m a homicide detective in the First Division from the Fukui Police Department. It is a pleasure to be working with you, Hondomachi-san.”

Then, Akihito and Hondomachi bowed to each other.

“It is a pleasure to be working with you too, Narihisago-san.”

They smiled eagerly at each other. 

“Now that’s more like it! Let’s get moving.”

The Face Lifter case investigation begins. Everyone was in their designated locations to scout the area and try to predict the next murder and victim location based on their copies of the case files that they had all received. Momoki and Matsuoka were sent to the inner city areas to check for possible body locations and predictions based on the past victim records. Akihito and Hondomachi were sent to the neighborhood area, where many residents lived. They were near the roads that led to the city. The other teams were sent to the other areas all over Fukui to scout the other areas where the victims were found.

Akihito was sitting on the corner on the street, looking around in the neighborhood area. Hondomachi wasn’t too far from him, holding a tablet and scrolling through some of the information from the case files. Her notebook was out in front of her, trying to diligently uncover some more hints on the next predicted murder location. The other pairs around them were patrolling the other corners of the neighborhood. 

“Hondomachi-san, what are you doing there?” Akihito asked, as he looked around, scouting the area not far from the others. “How does staying near the victim’s location help us predict the next location?”

Hondomachi moved her tablet and scrolled more towards the victim’s records and their locations based on the copies of the case files they were given. 

“Narihisago-san, didn’t you pay attention during the meetings? The way these murders were done seems suspicious. They were placed in all sorts of locations and were made to be found.”

“How about going over the list of the victims and the places where they were found again?”

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you have a copy of the case file on you? You can check it yourself,” she said as she pursed her lips, “But since you asked, I’ll do it for you real quick.”

With a few taps on her tablet, Hondomochi pulled up the locations and showed it to Akihito.

“We’re separated into different teams based on the locations they found around Fukui City.”

Hondomachi then pulled up some of the victim files.

“The victim in this neighborhood area was Chika Tokuda, and she was found placed near the edge of the street corner not far from here. Another victim named Aoi Kishi was found in the inner city area, which was more downtown. The other 4 victims were found in other areas of the cities, in which the other teams are patrolling. Haruka Sawada was found in a park, Kyo Imada was found near a shrine, Shiori Ozawa was found near a city intersection, and the most recent victim was Chou Matsumura, who was found near a temple.” 

“Why would the killer want to place them to be found? Is this like some code?” Akihito muttered, bringing a hand to his chin, “It seems a bit too obvious that they left them in places that would attract someone to discover the body.”

“Right now, the least suspicious evidence is that they have all been all women. The main problem is that their bodies have been moved since the time of death.”

Hondomachi then placed the tablet under her arm.

“Their lower bodies have shown signs of liver mortis, which indicates a frontal death, despite many being found lying face down. Another oddity was the way they were moved. The corpses show signs of a sloppy and messy death to the face as their faces have all been peeled off. However, whoever moved the body was a different person. We couldn’t find their fingerprints or anything from the corpses, but the way they were placed there seemed too precise and clean to be from the actual killer.”

“But what does it have to do with us patrolling and scouting the areas where the victims were placed if the culprits already came here before? Is it possible that they would return to the scene of the crime?”

“I’m not sure, Narihisago-san, but there is definitely a high possibility that the actual murders were committed in some undisclosed location. That is why the First Division teamed up with us field analysts to help clarify the evidence given and predict the next murder and catch them in the act.” She folded her arms, being careful not to drop the tablet. “We still need some clues that could help us in finding the hidden location.”

Akihito thanked Hondomachi for her explanation and went back to patrolling the area again. He took out his phone and tried to pinpoint all the victims locations on a GPS map. However, his phone screen seemed too small so he had trouble organizing the cases together. Nearby, there was a convenience store. 

Akihito had an idea. He quickly walked towards the convenience store. 

“Where are you going, Narihisago-san?” Hondomachi cried out from a distance. She tried to chase after him.

“I’m going to get something real quick, Hondomachi-san. Wait for me for a couple minutes!” 

  
Meanwhile, in the inner city district, Momoki and Matsuoka were patrolling and scouting the area in their designated location. The team was checking near the areas near the victim and looking for any suspicious personnel that might show up. Momoki was checking his copy of the case file when Matsuoka came back from patrolling.

“Are you still trying to figure out the next possible murder location, Momoki-san?”

Momoki looked back towards Matsuoka nonchalantly. He remained silent. 

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk right now. The strangest thing about the case is how the bodies were positioned. Some of them seemed like they were trying to create some pose to pinpoint to something. A few were stretched out like poles while the other bodies had some slight bend in their positions. They were all lying face down as well.”

Momoki put his hand to his chin to think. 

“Matsuoka-san, do you think the killer is trying to give some message? The way and method that these are done seem intentional. There’s also a possible accomplice due to the way the bodies are being moved. Many bodies have been found before rigor mortis has set in. There has only been fresh evidence of liver mortis instead based on the decomposition stages.”

Matsuoka sighed and took out a plastic bag. It was full of groceries from the convenience store. He took out some tea bottles and snacks and offered some to Momoki. Momoki accepted and took a roasted green tea bottle. 

“Momoki-san, I have something else to ask you. Did you get Narihisago-san involved with your Kiki investigation as well? He seemed more tired than usual, and he should really get more friends apart from you.” Matsuoka opened his own bottle and took a sip. “You may have influenced him too much.”

Momoki opened his bottle and took a couple sips. He didn’t respond to Matsuoka for a few minutes. Matsuoka scratched his head and sighed again. He sounded a bit worried.

“It’s none of your business, Matsuoka-san. It was Narihisago-san himself who offered to help me with that investigation.”

“Such wasted potential, Momoki-san. You have all the leadership skills to lead a team and influence others but you chose to deal with someone like Narihisago-san all these years instead. I hope someone notices you and puts you in a more rightful position.” 

Momoki had to do everything not to glare at the field analyst. “Just stop with this conversation, Matsuoka-san. You don’t need to pry too much into private matters.” He closed the bottle and took another look at the case file. “So with this current case, I think we’ll need a map for this.”

“What for?”

“There is a possibility…”

  
Back towards the neighborhood patrolling, Akihito came back with a bag of groceries from the convenience store. He took out some green tea bottles and handed one to Hondomachi. 

“Here take this, Hondomachi-san.”

“Thank you, Narihisago-san.” She gave a small smile as she opened her bottle. “Apart from getting us some refreshments, what else did you get?”

Akihito took out a small map from his grocery bag. It was a map of Fukui City, with different districts and temples and neighborhoods around them. He then took out a few markers from his bag. He had bought some markers to highlight the areas in black and red. He then opened himself a green tea bottle and drank a bit.

“Are you trying to pinpoint the victim’s discovery locations, Narihisago-san? I can help you with that…”

After Hondomachi helped Akihito with the mapping, he also asked another question.

“Hondomachi-san, what about the victim’s histories? Where do they live? It could help us in predicting a potential target.”

Hondomachi took out her tablet again and looked through the case file.

“Narihisago-san, all the women seem to be around the age range 15 and 35. They all seem to live around the same area, near the Nozomu neighborhood area. They also all seemed to be killed on Tuesdays as well.” She glanced up at Akihito. “What else do you need?”

Akihito remained silent for a moment. They all lived near his home. It seemed a bit uncanny. 

“What about their death positions? Was there anything related to that?”

“Some of them were a bit positioned strangely. A few were positioned like a pole while having a slight bend.”

Akihito then took a black marker and drew the locations on the map again. This time, it seemed to appear some square shape. It looked to be some radius between each point. He measured the map and estimated about a 200 mile separation between all 6 points. After he drew the square in around the dots, he then saw a familiar word among the locations. 

He took his marker out again and crossed over the dots.

It read 七.

“Seven?” Akihito scrunched his eyebrows. “Is there any meaning to using a number to leave a message?” Hondomachi asked as she wrote the clues down on her notebook again. 

“We already have six victims. Could this be the clue towards the next possible location…” Akihito replied as he looked over the possibilities again.

Another strange thing was how the killer was able to pinpoint the women so precisely. Their residential houses seemed too close to his own to be a coincidence. It’s as if they were watching them prior to the kidnapping and murder. Akihito turned sideways towards a street light and saw some security cameras around them.

Security cameras. Were they being watched?

The thought pained him again, reminiscing his school festival time with his family. Akihito felt worried and unsure about it. He pointed towards the seventh location, it was near the cram school that Muku went to prepare for high school entrance exams. 

“Narihisago-san? Your finger is shaking a bit.”

Hondomachi was watching Akihito think and was confused by his expressions. 

  
Meanwhile, back at the inner city district, Momoki was showing Matsuoka the similar result. It showed a 七 result on the mapping as well. They were also guessing between the undisclosed murder location and the predetermined seventh location. 

“If the victims were watched so closely and precisely, could this really mean that they were watched prior to being kidnapped and murdered? Something really doesn’t seem right. The killer must definitely have an accomplice to do these kinds of tasks,” Momoki said. “We should really split up to find the undisclosed location where they killed the victims and the predetermined seventh spot to catch the culprits.”

“But how will we do that without attracting attention, Momoki-san? Would there be enough time for us to catch them before they put up another body?”

“What do you mean? What do you mean by that?”

Matsuoka remained silent on the answer.

  
Akihito seemed wary and shocked by the revelation. He didn't want to think about it, but it felt the same as the Challenger case. He asked Hondomachi one last question:

“Hondomachi-san, what date is today?”

“It is January, 23, 2018, Narihisago-san. What about it?”

“It’s a Tuesday.” The realization hit him. “The killer will kill again today…someone is going to get killed!” 

Hondomachi quickly grabbed Akihito before he was about to leave and do something reckless. She shushed him and pointed towards the other teams who are still scouting and patrolling the area. 

“You might need to convince them first,” Hondomachi whispered, now concerned. “Matsuoka-san was wary that you might do that. You can’t act too reckless right now, Narihisago-san.”

Akihito seemed gloomy and worried. He sighed and scratched his head. He didn’t know what to do. 

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Akihito’s phone began buzzing from his pocket. He took out his phone and checked to see who was calling him at a time like this.

It was Muku.

“Muku? Why are you calling all of a sudden? Did something happ-”

There were some muffling sounds in the background and the struggle for breath as someone seemed to be crying out.

“D-Dad…please save me! Someone kidnapped me and I’m stuck in some warehouse…Help me before they-…”

Clack. The phone call cut off.

Muku was in danger. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another serial killer case!
> 
> Editor Credits go to Akaido and Main Beta Reader Raido from Discord.


	7. The Face Lifter (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Full Case

File 7: The Face Lifter (Part 2)

\--Flashback—

Inside the inner city district, Muku was walking with the crowds towards her cram school. She walked swiftly and carefully so as to not trip and fall. Among the crowds, there were a few suspicious people following her. Dodging them, Muku tried to lead them off her trail.

“Not again!”

Muku ran through another crowd, carrying her backpack full of cram school supplies with her. Her expertise at escaping their grasp time and time again had made them lose her trail a couple times, at the expense of being late. But there was no other way.

They can’t get her now. Not with a crowd full of people. There would be too many witnesses. But there was such a thing as the bystander effect. It was best for them to lose her trail again.

Shifting and skipping through a couple crowds as she crossed another street, Muku walked towards the edge of the sidewalk. She glimpsed back and forth, making sure that she wasn't being followed. As she crossed the streets again, she drew a sigh of relief as she saw no one following behind her. But as she moved forward, Muku found herself ambushed.

A tall slender man in a hoodie walked towards her and grabbed her into an alleyway. A vending machine hummed near them, filled with many cans of hot drinks and beverages for the cold winter season. He grabbed Muku by the collar and struck her towards the wall.

“Not so smart are you now? You tried to fool us many times but too bad for you, we were able to read your patterns after many trials and errors. Your paths trying to trick us don't work anymore, little girl.”

Muku felt tightness in her chest and fear as he held her against the wall. His face was hidden so it was hard to see his features. It would be hard for Muku to call witnesses if she needed to find them again.

Then, Muku had an idea. She started to cross her legs on his arm that was holding her against the wall.

“What are you doing, little girl? Are you-“

She tried to twist his arm with her legs, causing him to let go and yelp in pain. Muku fell to the ground and saw her backpack nearby, which was about to be left in the alleyway. She had learned some self-defense from her father, although it was only somewhat effective. Muku quickly grabbed her backpack and ran.

Running as fast as she could.

After stopping at a dead end, she rested for a bit, out of breath. Breathing heavily, she took a drink from her water bottle. The crowds of people walking all over the streets seemed to be ignoring her as her followers were scrambling to find her location again.

“I’m going to be late again, aren’t I?” Muku muttered to herself, “Should I call Dad for help after all?”

Muku pondered to herself. She had not told Dad about these strange men following her these past few weeks while she was going to cram school to prepare for the high school entrance exams. She was now farther away from her cram school location than before, trying to lose track of them. Walking back would be risky.

But Dad was at work, working on a big case. Muku felt that she would be bothering him. But maybe this could be related, although she wasn't sure. She had witnessed some police teams coming into the inner city district while she was going from her middle school to cram school.

“Maybe I can ask those police officers for help. I don’t want to bother Dad too much if it’s just some minor issue…”

Muku slowly went out of her hiding place and saw a police team patrolling the area not far from her. But before she could get any closer, someone bumped in front of her and grabbed her arm. It was a different person this time and not the skinny hooded man as before. The person was wearing some sort of mask to cover their mouth. Muku tried to cry for help but was quickly gagged.

The police officers were so close, yet so far…

Muku woke up to the smell of dampness. The wet floor made her feel icky. She checked her clothes and found her backpack near her. Someone had brought it with them as they took her. Unsure of what to do, her first impulse was to look for her phone. She was afraid that they might have taken it from her while she was unconscious in order to prevent her from getting help.

But as she tried to move around, many echoes of her movements were heard around the room. The room seemed to be very reflective of sound, making the kidnappers able to hear what was going on inside the room. Muku then tried to be quieter and searched for her phone.

Thankfully, it was still in her sweater. She had hid it before she went out to look for the police officers to ask for help.

“I can call for help…hope there is still a signal here…”

Muku opened her phone under the dimly lit warehouse she was in. She was surprised that she hadn’t been roped into somewhere or locked up. But there was no use thinking too optimistically. It could all be a trap to lure her. Or some kind of messed up game.

Muku moved around the room where she was stuck, checking for signals. The signal was small and faint, but it was now or never. There was hope that it could go through. The other issue was trying to attract the killer’s attention with the noise that she was making.

Grabbing her backpack, she looked for something to use. Pens. Notebooks. Textbooks. Flashcards. Wait, are there some pins and mechanical pencils? She then found some rubber bands among her school supplies.

She could use these to make a makeshift weapon to defend herself.

Quickly assembling the school supplies from her backpack, she quickly created a simple mechanical pencil gun, made from rubber bands, a boxcutter and a mechanical pencil. She also created a makeshift slingshot weapon with the rubber bands, using some of her pencils as ammo. She took out a few sharpened pencils just in case, as backup.

Suddenly, Muku heard a few voices not far from the door. Seems like they are coming in. It seemed like they were going to come in. The door slowly creaked open to reveal more people covered in hoods and masks.

She quickly hid behind some boxes around the room. The masked hooded figures covered in shadows were slowly approaching her.

“Seems like she hid, Hitoshi-san. Are you sure it was a good idea to keep her untied? You even brought her backpack! Are you going to make her play your game again like the others?”

“Of course. What’s the fun in killing if we don’t give our prey a chance to escape? I don’t need _that guy_ to make us move the body if we kill them too fast. What’s the fun in that?”

Muku went closer to hear what they were talking about. Upon closer inspection, she saw a rough looking male figure that the others seemed to be following. He was wearing a light casual shirt and rough loose trousers. He seemed to be holding some sort of object. It looked like a drill.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are. We’re going to have _fun_ playing a game, little girl…”

Muku winced but kept quiet. She held her backpack close to her, and was holding a pencil close to her. She would have to get out of the room first. That was the first priority. Then she could look for a better signal and call for help there. Muku quickly took out her phone again under the dimly lit room.

The signal was faint but had no bars. She would have to get out of the room after all. It was now or never.

Muku hid and waited until they had gotten past her. The door was still open, with some sort of light coming through. The warehouse seemed big but there was no other way. Who knew what was waiting for her outside the room.

She put on her backpack and sprinted.

“There she is, Hitoshi-san! Should we get he-…”

“Shush, let the little girl run. She can’t hide for long. This will be an _interesting_ chase.”

Muku ran as fast as she could once she ran outside the room. There were doors all over the place and brightly lit hallways devoid of equipment. First things first, check for signals and hope the call goes through.

Taking out her phone, she ran all over the hallways and hid among the few box crates that were around the warehouse building. There seemed to be an eerie feeling all around her, as if she was being watched. She looked behind and saw a few cameras in the building.

Before she knew it, she found a single bar go up.

Looking for a place or room to hide in, she found a storage room not far from her. She looked around for anyone chasing her before she grabbed the door handle and hoped it was unlocked.

It was.

With a sigh of relief, she slowly opened the door, still wary if there was anything disturbing inside. She opened the door, and just saw a room full of cleaning supplies and brooms. Muku gave a sigh of relief and closed the door behind her. She quickly took out her phone and dialed 113, an emergency phone number that calls the police department in Japan.

“Hello? How may we help you?”

The call seemed louder than she thought. It could give away her location. Muku lowered the volume and tried to keep her voice low.

“P-Please help me! My name is Muku Narihisago-san. I have been kidnapped and stuck in some warehouse building and there are people chasing after me! Can you please let the police find my location as soon as possible?”

Muku tried to be as formal as she could, but she was too scared of being too loud. She hoped the dispatcher heard her and would send a rescue team to her location soon.

“Certainly. We will find your location as soon as possible. Please wait while we fo-”

The call cut off just as Muku was waiting for a response. A bit startled, she quickly regained her posture again and peeked from her hiding place. After seeing no one, she locked the door this time.

Maybe she should call her Dad after all. He is with the Fukui Police Department and could tell his co-workers to get her rescued as soon as possible. With her hands shaking, she made another call. This time to her Dad.

“Muku? Why are you calling all of a sudden? Did something happ-“

Before Muku could reply, there were some muffled voices behind her. It seemed like her constant phone calls were revealing her location. She looked around the cleaning room that she was in and hid near a corner. Holding her breath, she answered the phone call:

“D-Dad…please save me! Someone kidnapped me and I’m stuck in some warehouse…Help me before they-…”

Clack.

Muku’s phone suddenly had no signal. The single bar disappeared. She suddenly heard the rattling of the doorknob. Frightened, Muku looked around the cleaning room for a chance to get out. If not, she would have to get out from that door again.

The door opened slowly, revealing the crude face of the Face Lifter, his groggy hands holding a large drill as he came closer.

“You sure are a smart kid, little girl. Let’s have some fun!” he said, with a wide grin on his face, “Did you seriously think that I would let you go that easily?”

Muku shrieked.

\---------

Cutting back to the present time, Akihito was frozen as he held up the phone. The fear of dread and horror overwhelmed him. Hondomachi noticed his hands were shaking, and quickly put her hands on them to calm him down.

“Narihisago-san, what are you going to do? Your daughter is in danger.”

“I-I know, Hondomachi-san. What should I do? I can’t get anywhere right now and Muku could be tortured while we speak…What should I do?”

Akihito looked back at Hondomachi and looked down on the ground. He felt an immense sense of déjà vu. As if it has happened before. What should he do this time? They were in the middle of patrolling the neighborhood area, and were going to wait for the culprits to show back up at one of the locations.

“What’s the point if someone is going to die just to give us an easier time to catch the culprits? Is there some other way to catch them without risking someone’s life?” Akihito said, frustrated with himself.

“Narihisago-san, you may be right. There might be another way around this. Do you have any sort of plan?”

He looked back at the physical map that he drew over and Hondomachi with her tablet nearby. It showed the seventh location but they were still in the process of guessing the undisclosed location where the murders were being committed. Maybe rescuing Muku could help them find the Face Lifter’s location. It was worth the chance. Akihito quickly whispered to Hondomachi about his ideas and plan. Hondomachi smirked a bit from listening to it.

“Hondomachi-san, do you think it could work?”

“Narihisago-san, I think I know why Matsuoka-san thought you were crazy. But I’ll agree with your plan. However, we would have to convince the other teams on how to organize ourselves. I’m not sure if the First Division and the other field analysts would believe us.”

Akihito immediately thought of Momoki. He was good at negotiations and planning. His friend was separated from him for this case, as he and Matsuoka were located in the inner city district while they were farther away in the neighborhood area. But that meant they were closer to the seventh location than the rest of them.

“Wait a minute…there probably is a way!”

Akihito then started to call Momoki.

Meanwhile, back at the inner city district, Momoki was holding Matsuoka roughly by the collar. His frustrated face glared at Matsuoka after he told him his response to Momoki.

“What?! Why would you risk someone’s life over this case investigation? Are you seriously going to let someone _die_ for this, just to catch the culprits?!” Momoki said angrily, “Matsuoka-san, I thought I expected better from you. Many people’s lives are at risk due to these crimes!”

Matsuoka was wary from Momoki’s reaction, while still being held by the collar. The other police officers around them stood, shocked from their superiors infighting. Matsuoka tried to calm Momoki down:

“Momoki-san, please calm down. That’s not what I meant. This is a very risky mission. These killers are very intelligent. They seem to know what they are doing. Something’s not right about them…”

“What do you mean?”

“We could attract too much attention if we suddenly move from our positions. These culprits could be watching us.”

Momoki slowly took his hands off Matsuoka’s collar and turned to face the wall of the building that they were patrolling in. Still frustrated, he clenched his fists and punched the wall. Momoki’s face was filled with worry and dread. He was also worried about Akihito and wondered what he was doing on the other side of the case investigation. Hopefully Hondomachi treated him nicely.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Momoki’s phone buzzed from his pocket. He picked up the phone and checked the number.

It was Akihito.

“Narihisago, how are you doing? I hope that you are doing okay. What do you need-…”

“I-I’m doing fine, Momoki. I have something very important to tell you…”

The other side was having a bit of heavy breathing. Akihito seemed to sound worn out and stressed. His voice was distressed and sounded anxious. From a distance, Hondomachi’s muffled voice could be heard from the background.

“Momoki, I have gotten word from Hondomachi-san that someone had called 113 not too long ago. It could be from the seventh target…my daughter Muku’s phone call…”

“N-Narihisago?”

“…”

Akihito’s deafening silence worried Momoki. The seventh target was Muku. Something really didn't seem right.

“Do you have anything else, Narihisago? Like any clues on finding their locations?”

Akihito muffled around for a while before answering.

“Momoki, there may be a way to rescue Muku while distracting ourselves with this case investigation…Please listen to me…”

“Sure Narihisago, it would be better than our current situation.”

Akihito then discussed with Momoki about his plan. It seemed risky, but with the circumstances going on right now, it was worth a try. Matsuoka came in right as Momoki finished his call with Akihito.

“Momoki-san, what are you planning? Are you seriously going along with Narihisago’s plan?”

Momoki closed the call and put his phone away. He adjusted himself and looked back towards Matsuoka. He had a serious expression on his face.

“Matsuoka-san, Narihisago-san’s daughter is in danger again. It seemed like she was the seventh victim. We could still save her and catch the culprits.”

“Again? It seems like Narihisago-san is cursed. So far, every time we get a serial killer case, it seems to involve his family…”

Matsuoka shook his head. He wasn't sure what Momoki was planning. After listening and discussing to Matsuoka about the plan, he sighed again. It sounded like another risky plan. But it was also another risky mission.

“Matsuoka-san, please trust us, we can save the last victim and catch the killer this time. You don’t need to criticize Narihisago-san so much. We’ll just have to do the best we can…”

Back at the neighborhood patrol area, Akihito and Hondomachi were talking with their team. Some of them would stay to patrol the area and look for suspects around the area while the rest of them would sneak away towards finding the undisclosed location. Akihito took out his phone and showed Muku’s recording. He replayed it a few times and was asking Hondomachi about the sounds around her.

“Narihisago-san, the sounds from the phone call recording seems to have a faint sound from the outside. It seems to be ocean waves. So near the edge of Fukui from the looks of it. There were also faint sounds of machinery, so she is probably near a factory as well. We have found a radius of where she could possibly be.”

“Hondomachi-san, how long will it take us to get there? We don't have much time…”

“I don't know. Do you believe your daughter will be fine? We would just have to rely on fate…”

Akihito hesitated before staying silent. He looked back longingly, thinking about what to do. Scratching his head, he looked towards Hondomachi and his phone call with Momoki. There was nothing he could do to rush to his daughter in time. They still had to drive there and search the area. He could only hope.

_Muku, please survive. Your father is coming to rescue you out of this situation._

In the meantime, Muku was in a standoff with the Face Lifter. She was hiding her phone in her sweater again. Scared out of her wits, Muku was thinking about how to escape out of the cleaning room she was in. The Face Lifter was in front of the door, holding up his drill.

“Little girl, what are you going to do now? You can’t escape from here. But we will play along with your little game of tag and find you. It doesn’t hurt to have some fun once in a while.”

Muku winced at his remark but kept her hands steady. She looked behind him to see if there were more people behind him. From the looks of it, there wasn't anyone behind him. She looked around her to make sure she still had some sharpened pencils. She could stab him in the leg before rushing out of there.

“I’ll definitely escape…I have to…I can’t let my Dad down…”

“Your father? You mean Mister Akihito Narihisago-san?” the Face Lifter said as he raised his eyebrows towards her. He turned on the drill and licked the handle of it. He really wanted to peel this little girl’s face off.

“You know my Dad? How do you know his name?!”

“Connections. You don’t need to know about that. I’m just here to get you and kill you to satisfy myself and get away from here. Let’s enjoy ourselves, shall we?”

The sound of the drill rumbled throughout the cleaning room. Muku had no way out but through the door where the Face Lifter stood. The silence filled the room, with only the deafening sound of the electric drill in the Face Lifter’s hands. Muku clenched her fists and stared towards the door. It was her only chance. It was now or never. Her pencils were hidden behind her, ready to strike and defend herself when she ran into danger. She closed her eyes for a few moments to get herself ready.

“What are you doing, little girl? You want to face me head on to get out of the room? Sure, give it a try. I’m ready…”

In one moment, Muku ran out as fast as she could. She sprinted towards the Face Lifter and ducked under as the drill barely made it past her head. She darted out of his way as she rushed out of the door. The Face Lifter’s surprised expression looked into hers as she ran off. A little angry this time, he let out a grunting laugh.

“I’ll get you! I’ll catch you and kill you right there and then! You really are an _interesting_ target after all heh…”

A few of the Face Lifter’s accomplices came out of the other hallways. They heard the commotion between the Face Lifter and Muku. Running towards him, they asked where the girl ran off to.

“We’ll just have to sneak up on her. She’s asking for another game of tag eh? Get ready, my men!”

Muku was struck by another dead end. Not far from her was a set of emergency staircases. The elevator seemed too risky right now. She quickly took out her phone from her sweater again. There was barely any signal. She thought for a moment and had an idea.

She would climb to the top of the building, try to get a signal and call for help again. Maybe being at the top would make her more visible to the rescuers looking for her.

Holding her breath, she rushed up the stairs, towards the roof of the building.

Akihito and Hondomachi arrived towards a gated warehouse district. The sound of ocean waves echoed around them. Getting out of the backseat of the car, Akihito rushed out to check the scenery. There seemed to be nothing suspicious so far, but the rest of the team would have to search around the area based on Muku’s recorded phone call in order to locate the right warehouse among all these similar looking buildings.

“Any clues, Hondomachi-san?” Akihito asked as he scanned the area. The other teams were beginning to scatter around the warehouses to check.

“We’ll have to see, Narihisago-san, the best we can do is to search the buildings that are a close match to the phone call surroundings…”

Closing his eyes, Akihito prayed hoping that Muku was still alive. Please, let her still be alive…

Momoki and Matsuoka arrived at the cram school building near the seventh location. A few teachers were nearby preparing for lessons for another group of students that were going to arrive soon. One of the teachers looked at them and asked what they were doing there. A few police cars were parked around the corners of the school.

Matsuoka was checking his list about the seventh location and looked up at the cram school building.

“Kibou Cram School, huh. Wonder why the Face Lifter would want to get involved with a school building for?”

Momoki quickly took out his police badge.

“I’m Funetaro Momoki-san, from the Fukui Police Department. Do you have some time for some questions, madam?”

“Well, I’m going to have lessons soon. I don’t know if I have much time, officer.”

“No worries, it will be short and quick.”

Momoki began to ask the lady about any suspicious activities around the cram school lately. She mentioned some strange renovations going on around the buildings and didn’t know if it had anything to do with their investigation.

“I-I don’t know if you really should check it out, officer. The decorations are up on the roof of the building and we don't know why someone would put such a macabre display up there. It got installed on top of the school building not long ago. It could all just be a sick joke.”

Momoki thanked the lady for her answers and called up on some officers to his side. Matsuoka was outside with another team to check out the seventh location.

“Let’s check out the rooftop of this school building.”

Momoki began climbing up towards the rooftop with his team.

Muku ran towards the rooftop of the warehouse building, and saw no one there. Letting out a sigh of relief, she took out her phone to find a signal again. A few bars popped up. Looking behind her again to check if anyone was following her, she slowly hid behind the signal tower on top of the building not far from her.

She tried to call again but this time, it didn't go through. Confused, Muku checked her surroundings again if anything was blocking the call. Thinking to herself, she decided to record her voice and try to send it over again, hoping for a response.

Clicking on the app for recording, she decided to send it to her Dad again. She clicked a button and began recording.

“Hello, hello. This is Muku Narihisago-san. I’m on top of a warehouse building with a cell tower next to me. I can’t seem to get much signal for some reason but I hope this message can get to you…”

The rooftop door slowly opened while Muku kept recording. Turning around, she faced back to find the Face Lifter creeping out of the doorway. A few other men came out from the corner as well.

Muku shrieked in surprise before covering her mouth.

“Well, well. You just ran up into a dead end, little girl. There is no safe place to hide out here in the open, eh? I guess this will be your resting place.”

The Face Lifter turned on his drill, creating a deafening sound. Muku’s phone was still recording as she tried to keep quiet. But before she could hit send, someone knocked the phone out of her hand. It was one of the Face Lifter’s accomplices. The hooded slender man from before.

“So you came all the way here trying to get help with your phone? That's very smart of you, but this area is full of signal reducers that disrupts connections around here. You don’t have a chance, kid,” said the hooded man.

The phone slid near the end of the cell tower. Muku saw where the phone went, hoping for a distraction from the men slowly coming towards her. With all her might, she sprinted, grabbed her phone and clicked send. The message rang through, barely. She fell down from the slippery surface of the cell tower and felt someone grab her leg.

“Playtime is over, little girl.”

Sudden pain suddenly sprang up from her leg. The Face Lifter was drilling into her leg. Muku shrieked in pain and screamed horrific cries for help.

“DAD! ANYONE! HELP! PLEASE SAVE ME!”

Bing. Bing. Bing.

Akihito’s phone suddenly notified him of a message. They were still checking the warehouses near the sea area for anything suspicious and movements. Hondomachi was busy coordinating with the other teams about what to do. An officer seemed to have some complaints about something.

“Hondomachi-san, there seems to be some signal issues in one part of the warehouse's infrastructure. I’m not sure why anyone would do that,” he said as he pointed towards several buildings near them. One of them had a cell tower on top.

Hondomachi thanked the officer then walked towards Akihito, who seemed to be panicking. He was sitting near the road pavement leading up to one of the warehouses. He had checked the past couple buildings to no avail. This seemed like a very fruitless search. She poked him in the shoulder, freaking him out. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, deep in thought.

“What was that for, Hondomachi-san? You know how _worried_ I am?!” Akihito muttered, a bit frustrated and angry, “This is no time for games!”

Hondomachi sighed. She had tried to cheer Akihito up but with the current situation, it didn't seem to help at all. After all, his daughter had gotten kidnapped and was involved with the Face Lifter case.

Bing. Bing. Bing.

Akihito’s phone rang again. Trying to notify him of the message. He had not been paying attention to his phone's constant reminders for a while. Hondomachi pointed towards his phone’s ringing again.

“I think you should check out the message, Narihisago-san. It could lead us to the right warehouse building. After all, we have been searching the area for a few hours with nothing to show for.”

“Don't remind me, Hondomachi-san. But I can’t hope too much. What if it’s the Face Lifter’s request or something gruesome? How am I supposed to respond to that?”

Facepalming for a moment, Hondomachi then elbowed at Akihito. His depressing face was creating a very sullen atmosphere. It seemed to snap Akihito out of his daze.

“Just answer it, Narihisago-san. You want to save your daughter as soon as possible right?”

“Y-Yes…obv-“

“There shouldn't be any downside in checking the message right? You did answer your daughter’s phone call earlier after all,” Hondomachi said as she tried to show him a determined expression, “Don't lose hope now..”

Akihito looked up towards Hondomachi and sighed. It could be worth a try. He took out his phone, which had been notifying him about a new message for a while now. Opening the messaging app, he found another recording, this time from Muku.

He pressed the recording, revealing Muku’s new recorded message.

“…top of warehouse…with a cell tower…signal…”

Hondomachi tried to listen to the marbled message, but it seemed to put out some clues on the location. It reminded her of something. She remembered the officer who was questioning about the cell tower on top of one of the warehouses.

“Narihisago-san, I think your daughter is telling you where she is,” she said, pointing towards the cell tower, “We can go towards the warehouse with the cell tower.”

Akihito looked towards Hondomachi’s direction and squinted his eyes. There was indeed a cell tower on top of one of the warehouses. A few officers were still searching around the area near them. There was still time.

“So, do you want to check that warehouse, Narihisago-san? Why don't we check there right away…”

Akihito paused for a moment. Immediately, he felt an intense feeling. It seemed to be coming from the warehouse’s rooftop.

He looked back towards Hondomachi, who was about to organize another team search unto the warehouse. After observing them preparing for an ambush, he quickly walked towards them. Hondomachi reacted a bit surprised, curious about what Akihito was about to do.

“Hondomachi-san, I think we should split up the team. Something seems eerie that seems to be coming from the warehouse rooftop. The criminals may be doing something up there.”

Hondomachi shook her head but noticed that Akihito seemed to glare towards the building’s direction. He was being very serious, with a bit of fear and anger mixed into his expression. She looked back at the building and then took out a noise detector. After adjusting the device, she heard a faint noise coming from the warehouse.

There was a faint sound of screaming.

Muku tried to free herself from the Face Lifter’s clutches. Above her were his accomplices, trying to hold her down. The Face Lifter grabbed his electric drill and was making preparations for their now captured target. Muku’s legs stood out from the rest of her tied up body. She tried to scream for help but something was put into her mouth to prevent her from screaming. She gagged as she tried to spit the wad out of her mouth.

“There, there, little girl. No need to fret. Your death will be a quick and painless one…or that’s what I would say if you didn't try to run away. How about a little warm up?”

He began to drill into one of Muku’s legs. The sudden pain hit Muku, with bits of blood and meat gushing out of her leg. It felt like an aggressive stabbing needle piercing into her skin. She shrieked in pain, but the gag put on her mouth was preventing her from yelling more.

_Please. Anyone. Please save me. I don't want to die here…_

Muku then noticed not far from her that there was a large beacon signal nearby. There was a search team going on right now. There was still hope. With the last of her strength, she pounced up and hit the Face Lifter with her head. The gag fell out of her mouth and she cried for help again.

“HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE ME! HELP! H-“

One of the Face Lifter’s accomplices slapped Muku to the ground, as she laid there crying from the pain from her leg. The Face Lifter shook his head from her sudden movement and laughed again.

“You really think you’ll make it out alive, little girl? You sure are persistent,” he said as he grabbed her legs again.

Muku continued screaming and calling for help, only to have her mouth covered again by one of the Face Lifter’s accomplices. She felt helpless, not knowing what else to do.

_Please. Someone. Anyone. Save. Me._

BANG.

A loud noise suddenly startled Muku. She looked up to see a figure not far from the warehouse rooftop. It seemed to be a police officer. She seemed to be a bit short but she was there, in front of a couple of other police officers coming out of the doorway. A familiar face was seen close to the door.

There was her Dad. He really did come to her rescue.

Hondomachi was pointing her gun towards the Face Lifter, who was holding the drill on one of Muku’s legs. It didn't seem to startle the other accomplices who were near Muku and were covering her mouth.

“Don't move a muscle, Face Lifter. You are under arrest for kidnapping and first degree murder.”

The Face Lifter looked at Hondomachi and glared at her. He put his hand to his chin, mimicking a detective’s thought process.

“So that’s what they call me, huh? I’m called the Face Lifter. That's not a bad name.”

He started drilling into one of Muku’s legs again. Muku screamed some more, trying to hold her breath as she felt the sharp pain pierce into her body. More streams of blood flowed out of her leg. He pierced into her leg even harder, as if he was frustrated.

“I thought I was going to have plenty of time to play with you, little girl. But there is a change of plans,” he said as he tried to drill her leg harder, as if trying to get into her bone, “You are going to be my hostage.”

Before Hondomachi could react, she felt a punch coming from behind her. The hooded slender man was about to hit her with a crowbar. Bracing for impact, she ducked and kicked his legs to break his posture. He fell down.

“Is that the best you got?” Hondomachi said, while calling for more backup from one of her communicators, “These signal issues sure are annoying…”

A few of the Face Lifter’s accomplices had tried to escape from the rooftop and headed towards the door, which led to the stairs leading down to the warehouse building. But they suddenly went quiet once they went through the door.

Akihito came out from the door. He had knocked out the accomplices that had tried to escape from the ambush. As he slowly walked out from the rooftop doorway, he glared at the Face Lifter menacingly. He quickly noticed Muku on the ground near him. He felt an intense sensation of anger and frustration towards this serial killer not far from him.

“Narihisago-san! I thought you were going to prevent the other accomplices from escaping? What are you doing here?”

Akihito let out a nervous smile and shushed Hondomachi.

“Change of plans. There are some officers hiding inside the warehouse building and many are already going through an intensive search right now,” he whispered, “Let me help you deal with the Face Lifter.”

“B-But won’t Matsuoka-san criticize you again? I’ll deal with thi-“

But before Hondomachi could finish her sentence, the Face Lifter stopped drilling. Muku was now unconscious, with tears full of pain and fear. Her bloodied leg stood out as the Face Lifter held her by her head, as if getting ready to pierce her skin. He looked up just in time to see Akihito staring back at him.

“So, you’re that Narihisago-san? Akihito Narihisago-san, am I right?” he said as he pointed his drill in front of Muku’s face, “Why don't we play a game?”

Akihito clenched his fists.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the cram school building, Momoki was staring at the gruesome display that seemed to be from the killers. Not far from him, a few more officers peeked out of the doorway to see Momoki’s reaction.

It was a face full of horror and confusion.

What laid in front of him was a horror macabre display of many frog corpses. Its dried up organs laid up all over the rooftop pavement. What was more strange was that there was a strange object not far from the frog. Momoki walked closer towards the display and saw something above him.

It was a video camera, with its green light beeping.

Momoki looked around the camera and checked for its recordings. The camera seemed to tilt upon some pole, as if to stop anyone from reaching it easily. Putting on his gloves, Momoki put his hand on his chin to think of a strategy to get the camera out of the pole that was recording the frog display.

“Momoki-san! We got some news for you.”

A random voice from a police officer startled Momoki’s thought process. He turned around to see a few police officers slowly walking out of the door. They had been observing the cram school building to check for any more suspicious items and were already finished. One of them was going to ask Momoki if he could offer help in getting the video camera off the pole.

Taking out his notebook, the police officer gave Momoki the news:

“We have gotten word that part of the neighborhood patrol team has found the undisclosed location. It seems to be from a warehouse with a cell tower that is near the seaside. They had to take a few hours to find the building. Hondomachi-san had sent word for backup on capturing the killers that are hiding there.”

Momoki accepted the message, then proceeded to ask for help from the other police officers nearby to take the video camera off of the pole. After a couple minutes, they managed to get the camera off the pole. Momoki looked over the camera for anything suspicious.

In a snap, the green blinking lights turned off, revealing a recording. Momoki tried to get the camera to work again but the video that was being played seemed blurry and out of focus, as if done intentionally.

As Momoki went to the other police officers to discuss some arrangements for the camera and the frog display, another police officer came up to him. It seemed to be a message from Matsuoka. He had gone to the seventh location with another team to check out if the culprits had let off anything suspicious in that area.

“We have a message from Matsuoka-san. He said that they have found suspicious items in the area. They seem to be some items related to water, such as water tablets and wells. He is asking you to investigate the evidence.”

Momoki put his hand to his chin again before answering:

“Thank Matsuoka-san for the information. Let me check this camera recording real quick with the technicians who can fix these blurry images first,” he muttered back, before looking out from the rooftop building, “I hope Narihisago-san and Hondomachi-san capture the killers…”

Akihito glared at the Face Lifter, unsure about what sort of game that he would pull off. He was afraid about Muku’s safety, and she was unconscious from the blood loss from her leg, which left a gaping wound. She would need medical attention immediately. He turned around to look at Hondomachi, who was perplexed by the sudden request.

She nudged at Akihito’s arms.

“Narihisago-san, accept the game,” she whispered, “It might lead us to what he is planning to do and their true motives.”

“What? Why? He is holding my daughter hostage right now!” he replied frantically, “What are you planning, Hondomachi-san?”

Hondomachi winked back at him. She quickly eyed back at Akihito and then towards the Face Lifter, who was holding Muku up in his arms. He seemed persistent and daring.

“We can play his game, Narihisago-san,” Hondomachi muttered again, “We just need to outsmart him.”

“Wait, since when did you want to play? Didn't he only ask me?” Akihito whispered back, “This isn’t funny, Hondomachi-san.”

“So are you two done talking? Did I hear that the little missy police officer here also wants to play?” The Face Lifter chuckled, “The more the merrier, I’ll say.”

Before Akihito could reply back, Hondomachi shushed his mouth. She looked at the Face Lifter deadpan in the eye:

“We shall play your game, Face Lifter. What game are you planning? Will you let the girl go if we win?”

The Face Lifter closed his eyes before opening them and glaring back at them. He pointed at each of them before thinking about what to do.

“Well now, that's only fair. I got nothing to lose. I’ll get captured by your police mates anyway…”

He pointed towards Akihito again. Then Hondomachi. The rest of the Face Lifter’s accomplices were hiding nearby, unsure of what their boss was planning.

“We’ll play a game of…Hangman.”

Akihito and Hondomachi looked surprised.

“What? It’s just a guessing game. You get seven chances to get it right.”

Seven. It’s that number again. Why must it be seven? What is so special about it?

“But what if we don't?” Hondomachi asked, a bit serious.

“Well, this little girl will have more holes in her,” the Face Lifter replied, pointing to his drill and the unconscious Muku, “You two don't want her to hurt even more, eh?”

“Seven questions? You could have had us guess three or five but why seven?” Akihito asked, “What’s so special about that number?”

The Face Lifter eyed Akihito back, a bit curious.

“Well come on now, Mister Narihisago-san. Why are you suddenly so interested in me, a killer?”

Hondomachi quickly shushed Akihito again. She was trying to get him to stop asking the Face Lifter so many questions. They were getting distracted for this time.

“I’m sorry for the interruption, but should we start the game now?” Hondomachi said, with a determined expression.

“H-Hondomachi-san!”

“Shush, Narihisago-san. I’ll give you a hint to get the weapon out of his hand. Be quiet for now.”

Hondomachi slowly put something small in the back of Akihito’s pant pocket. It felt sharp and small. Akihito was about to check what the thing was but Hondomachi slapped his hand out before they got noticed by the Face Lifter.

“Now let’s begin the game.”

Back at the cram school building, Momoki was with a couple technicians and police officers working on getting the recording fixed. They had barely managed to get an image out of the recording from the video camera. The other police officers had collected samples from the frog display and were organizing them to take back to the Fukui Police Department.

Then something seemed to show up from the images. It seemed very strange.

“Momoki-san, seems like we got something!” said one of the police officers.

Momoki looked from the screen and saw a figure pop out from the recording. It looked to be a man with a tall hat and cane. His outfit seemed old fashioned and outdated, as if from an old film. Momoki scratched his head, unsure about the new finding. Not far from him, Matsuoka was in the corner discussing with the other police officers about the current situation.

Momoki turned around and asked Matsuoka about the situation at the undisclosed warehouse location. He looked back and sighed.

“So, has Narihisago-san and Hondomachi-san made it? I haven’t gotten any messages from them yet. What did you get, Momoki-san?” Matsuoka muttered.

“There seems to be some blurry figure in some of the recordings that we managed to fix with some editing, but it still seems strange,” Momoki answered, while looking back at the footage again, “…and Narihisago-san and Hondomachi-san are already rescuing the seventh target, Muku Narihisago-san.”

“Hopefully Hondomachi-san won’t do anything too crazy.”

“What?”

“Why are you surprised, Momoki-san? She’s partnered with your best friend, Narihisago-san.”

Momoki seemed a bit shocked. If Matsuoka had known about Hondomachi’s antics, then why did he allow her to be paired with Akihito for?

“I meant the crazy part. If you already know that, why would you pair her with someone who would do something similar…” Momoki muttered, looking away from Matsuoka’s glance.

“She requested to be paired with Narihisago-san. Seems like all my rambling made her curious. Is that enough explanation?”

“Yes, that's fine…” Momoki answered, “I-I’ll just continue getting this evidence in order. It seems like Narihisago-san’s plan is working. Replacing some of the nearby security footage with our older patrolling has gotten the culprits confused about our actions.”

Matsuoka remained silent on that matter.

Back at the warehouse rooftop, Akihito and Hondomachi were about to play the Face Lifter’s game in order to free Muku from his grasp.

“So, I’ll have you two guess something from me, or else this little girl here could die,” the Face Lifter said, “Here’s the question.”

“What is the question?” Hondomachi asked, looking into the Face Lifter’s deadpan eyes. Akihito was glancing around again to check if anyone was going to attack them.

“Here goes nothing…Why do I like peeling faces off?”

Akihito and Hondomachi looked back at the Face Lifter in disbelief and surprise. The sudden question seemed a bit vague and not that descriptive. How were they supposed to answer?

“Why would you ask that? Isn’t this a bit too stra-“ Akihito muttered before being stopped by Hondomachi again. She kept her posture while trying to guess the serial killer’s question.

The Face Lifter had already prepared his electric drill to point towards Muku, this time on her face. She was already starting to move around, awakening from being unconscious. She slowly opened her eyes to see two blurry figures. It was Akihito and Hondomachi in front of her.

“Why do you like to peel faces off…does it have something to do with your own face?” Hondomachi asked, pointing towards the Face Lifter’s face and hers.

The Face Lifter chuckled. He picked up the drill again and pointed it towards Muku’s face.

“WRONG. Six more guesses left,” he said as he pierced a bit of Muku’s face. Muku screamed again. A little trickle of blood let out from her face.

Akihito was very tempted to grab the drill out of the Face Lifter’s grubby hands, but he was holding her tightly. He seemed like he would harm Muku more if he tried to do anything suspicious to them. Hondomachi grabbed his hands, and turned towards him.

“Narihisago-san, I know that you’re worried. But we have to buy some more time…I’ll signal you when you can go out and break the weapon out of his hand.”

“B-But Muku…”

“Don't worry. If he does anything drastically harmful towards her, we would take immediate action-“

“Why couldn't we take immediate action no-“

“Shush. He is watching us. There are some people watching us from the back too.”

Hondomachi glanced towards the far away cameras not far from them. It seemed to be eyeing them from a distance. The rest of the police officers hadn’t come up towards the rooftop for a while. They had to keep going for a while longer.

“So, what would your guess be, Mister Narihisago-san?”

Akihito looked back at the Face Lifter, glaring back at him. Thinking to himself, he thought of an answer too. He had to keep the illusion of control. Putting his hand to his chin, he guessed an answer:

“I believe you want to peel off people’s faces because you want to be like them?”

“Wrong again. You two cops sure are clueless.”

The Face Lifter pierced into another area of Muku’s face. She screamed again. More blood dripped from her face. Akihito’s anger and frustration felt relentless.

“MUKU!” 

There were only five guesses left. Who knew what else the Face Lifter could do to his daughter. He had to think fast. Hondomachi tapped his arms again, telling him to be quiet again.

“Wait a little longer, Narihisago-san. It’s almost time…”

“W-What?”

Hondomachi then chose to guess again. She eyed at the Face Lifter before giving her answer.

“You want to peel people’s faces off because you want to see their inner selves behind those facial features. Because everyone looks the same underneath.”

The Face Lifter glared at Hondomachi before chuckling. He seemed surprised by her answer. It seemed fitting.

“Not a bad answer, I’ll say. But too bad this little girl here would be the last victim here…” he said as he began to drill into Muku’s face again. She screamed some more, calling for help.

“Wait, didn't you say you will play fair? What are you doing?” Hondomachi asked, a bit confused. She quickly nudged at Akihito to target his weapon out of his hands.

“Who said I played fair? I’m a killer and I do what I like!”

Hondomachi made a surprised face before nudging Akihito again.

“Now!”

Akihito quickly lunged towards the Face Lifter’s electric drill, but was stopped by a sharp pain from his shoulder. Someone had shot him from the back. It was one of his accomplices.

“Mister Narihisago-san, you really are an interesting fellow. But your little girl is going to die if you don't let go…”

“No! I will not let you harm my daughter any further!”

Akihito took out a small item that Hondomachi had given him earlier. It was a small knife and stabbed the drill’s power functions. It started to malfunction. Muku kept screaming for her father. But then Akihito felt another stab. It was from the Face Lifter himself.

“It’s strange that you two didn't check me for any hidden weapons at all. What are you, amateurs?”

The Face Lifter had been hiding a small knife in his back pocket, in case things went haywire. With one more push, Akihito managed to grab the electric drill out of the Face Lifter’s hands. Feeling a bit of gut pain, he then lunged his head towards him, knocking him out. Muku flew out of his hands, and rested into Akihito’s arms.

First thing that Akihito did was check for any more injuries that were inflicted upon Muku. Apart from the gaping hole wound from one of her legs and a part of her face from being partially drilled in, she seemed fine. Just crying from the pain and being in and out of consciousness. He pulled her close into his arms and hugged her.

He turned around to see Hondomachi a bit further away. She had gone to apprehend the shooter that had shot at Akihito beforehand. The other police officers had come just in time to grab the other accomplices from escaping the warehouse. Hondomachi saw Akihito holding his daughter, with the unconscious Face Lifter next to him, with his head a bit bloodied from the knockout.

All was well, and the case was over.

After the case investigation was over, the other police officers organized themselves to collect evidence for the Face Lifter. Akihito and Muku were taken to the hospital to get their injuries treated, while Hondomachi got a scolding by Matsuoka due to her reckless actions.

Akihito was in a hospital bed after getting his injuries treated. Momoki was beside him, with Ayako by his side. Muku was in the next bed next to him, still sleeping from the anesthesia given to her during the surgery.

“Are you okay, Narihisago? You got injured again,” Momoki asked, worried.

“I’m fine, Momoki. See? I can move my arms,” Akihito replied, trying to cheer him up, “I guess that I got into trouble again. Matsuoka-san was right after all.”

Momoki looked down from his friend’s face. Ayako was sitting beside Momoki, unsure about what to say. She was holding Akihito’s camera, one of his favorite possessions to keep while he was recovering from his injuries. Momoki then looked back up towards Akihito.

“Listen, Narihisago, this case seemed too strange and your daughter got involved again. It was not your fault. You still tried your best to do your duty as a police officer and confronted the killer.”

“I’m sorry, Momoki. I don't want to burden you with any more of my problems.”

“What? What are you talking about, Narihisago? You did your job as best as you could. Please stop worrying about what others think of you.”

Akihito’s face suddenly turned gloomy and he looked back towards the sleeping Muku in another bed not far from him. Ayako looked at the two of them, confused and worried. She tapped Momoki in the shoulder to ask him something.

“What is it, Misses Narihisago-san? Is there a problem with your husband?”

Ayako quietly nodded, and looked back towards Akihito before telling Momoki what was going on.

“WHAT? Why didn't you tell me earlier, Narihisago! You didn't tell me about your nightmares you have been having…” Momoki muttered towards Akihito, shocked and even more worried. He was grabbing his shoulders, restraining Akihito from turning his head to avoid their glances.

Akihito made a sarcastic laugh before stopping himself. He had lied to Momoki about the constant dreams he had about the ghost girl and seeing his family dead again. He wasn't sure what to make of it. It had been at least two years since he had something similar happen to him.

“I-I really didn't want to worry you, Momoki. Please. It’s nothing…really…”

Momoki face palmed towards Akihito’s answer.

“Well, if you say so, Narihisago. You would have to tell me what’s going on later. But doesn't this feel familiar to you? I don't want to push too much but doesn't it remind you of the Challenger case? You told me about your dreams before as well.”

Akihito closed his eyes in shame. He let out a small smile before looking down from Momoki’s and Ayako’s faces. Ayako quickly put Akihito’s camera into his hands. He felt a bit better.

Momoki slowly got up from his chair. He smiled at Akihito for a moment:

“Well, I can’t ruin your family time, Narihisago. I’m glad that you’re doing okay,” he said as he grabbed his coat nearby, “Talk to you later then.”

After Momoki left, Akihito looked back towards his wife. Ayako hugged him tightly. They all had a quiet moment together with Muku sleeping beside them.

“I’m sorry Aya-chan, I’m so sorry…” Akihito muttered quietly towards Ayako, who was hugging him tightly.

After a few weeks of recovering, Akihito came back to work. He arrived at the Fukui Police Department, a bit more refreshed than before. It was late evening, so there were less people inside the building during that time. Momoki was in a private room, looking into the Kiki case files while also looking over Akihito’s cases that involved his family.

There might be a connection between them.

“Good evening, Momoki. I arrived like you said,” Akihito greeted as he walked into the room.

“Good evening to you too, Narihisago. Are you recovering better now?” Momoki said from the side of the room. He was sitting at a table, close to a window.

“Yes, I’m better now. Let’s get started.”

The room was dimly lit with a couple lamps and small lights around the room. There was a bookshelf full of case files not far from them. A small television stand was nearby, that was being used to play copies of recordings and footage from case files that they managed to recover. Akihito arrived at the table that Momoki was working on. It had a couple of his case files as well as Kiki’s.

It was private investigation time.

“Narihisago, I know that I don't want to ask you the same question again,” Momoki muttered, “But can you elaborate on your dreams again?”

Akihito closed his eyes and thought for a moment. The blurry ghost girl showed up in his mind. He couldn't remember seeing her face.

“I don't know if this will help, but she wore a white dress, which was stained with blood. She had long sleek black hair, which was left down. I can’t see her face at all. It’s all blurred out.”

“Blurred out? So you can’t see her face no matter how hard you try?”

“Sorry, Momoki. I can’t. It’s as if something is trying to prevent me from seeing her face…”

Momoki put his hand to his chin to think. Then he went to grab a recording from the recent Face Lifter case file. It was from the cram school building rooftop that he had gone to during the Face Lifter case investigation. He turned on the small television to play the recording.

The blurry recording showed a man with a top hat and cane. His face was covered and he had strings of white hair sticking out of his head. The man seemed tall and seemed to glare into the recording before fading out. The rest of the recording was too blurry to catch anything, so Momoki stopped playing the clip.

“This was what we found, Narihisago. It was found inside a video camera up on a pole towards a frog corpse display,” Momoki said as he gave Akihito some of the photos of the nasty frog artwork display, “Do any of these items remind you of anything?”

Akihito looked through some of the photographs that were taken of the frog corpse display. They all seemed mangled in a sick gruesome manner. But they all seemed like a sick man’s fantasy of killing animals to show their art, instead of a message. He scratched his head.

“I don't know, Momoki. It doesn't remind me about anything from the dreams. Why would you think that?”

“N-Narihisago, when I visited Asukai-san a couple times, she had been describing to me about a man with a cane and top hat who had been killing her in her dreams. I’m sorry that I didn't tell you any of these things either. I thought that you might not like her after that time…”

“No, Momoki. I don't dislike Asukai-san at all. It was my own fault. You don't need to blame yourself either,” Akihito replied, trying to not seem embarrassed, “So you were asking if the dreams I had showed a girl who looked like Asukai-san right?”

“Yes, but you already said you couldn't see her face because it was blurred out. So that isn’t much of a clue right now, Narihisago,” Momoki sighed, clicking a mechanical pencil.

He looked out of the window to check outside real quick. The sky was slowly becoming darker. Nearby, a convenience store had opened their bright lights for the night, hoping to welcome in some night visitors. Akihito had an idea.

“Momoki, are you hungry? I can get us something real quick from the convenience store,” Akihito said, trying to sound cheerful.

The duo had had trouble coming up with theories and clues so far, so they were checking the other case files and documents. Momoki went to grab the Challenger case file while he tried to compare it to the most recent Face Lifter case. Turning around to face Akihito, he nodded and let him go.

“Just go, Narihisago. Maybe some snacks and drinks could help us think better.”

“Roger that, I’ll be right back.”

Akihito left for a while to grab them some snacks and drinks for their nightly investigation. Momoki went back to check the case files and saw something suspicious and familiar between the two cases:

The Challenger case file with a key left behind was made from the similar materials found at the warehouse building. It consisted of wrought iron and HSS, also known as high speed steel. The sharpened steel is used to create sharpened edges on drills to make them go through all kinds of materials, such as wood and softer metals.

Does having the key being made from a mix of those two metals mean anything? It could have been made in that warehouse. But there wasn’t enough proof.

“I’m back, Momoki! I brought us some snacks and drinks!”

“Shh, the other officers can hear us, Narihisago. Be more quiet.”

“Sorry. So what did you find while I was away?”

Momoki pointed Akihito towards the Challenger’s key evidence and compared it to the materials that were found at the warehouse location in which the Face Lifter and his accomplices were found. They seemed to be made from similar material.

“Interesting. It’s possible that the key could have been made in the warehouse. Usually, keys are made of 100% wrought iron, not a mix of wrought iron and high speed steel. That’s really strange, Momoki.”

“It is strange. But there was one other thing that was more important, Narihisago…”

“What is it? Wait do you mean…”

Momoki took out the number of victims and compared it to the Face Lifter’s case. They all seemed to match the same number. Seven.

“Wait, even the Face Lifter’s locations seem to match up to seven! What’s so special about this number?” Akihito said, thinking to himself.

“Even the Challenger also had almost seven victims. Your daughter and Asukai-san were the potential victims in this case file, Narihisago. This sounds way too coincidental.”

Momoki kept quiet for a moment before he asked Akihito another question:

“Isn’t this like your dreams, Narihisago? You had a dream that day before the killers almost killed your daughter. Why do they keep targeting her? Is there any reason to?”

Akihito clenched his fists. Momoki was right, but he didn't want to mention or think about it. Two years ago, he had counted it as a bit of bad luck that might have led his daughter to get in danger. But now, the same incident was happening again. Even similar dreams.

“Momoki. My family was seen dead again. They were killed in the same manner as the serial killer’s victims. The ghost girl might be related to it because she always seemed to be standing near them. I can't tell if I’m cursed or not…”

“It’s okay, Narihisago. I don't know what to say about that…” Momoki muttered, “Fate works in mysterious ways.”

“I sure hope fate doesn't get us both killed, Momoki.”

An awkward silence followed, but then Momoki laughed. Akihito did too. It had been a while since they had had a good time. After they were done laughing, Akihito took out some tea bottles from the convenience store bag. He had left them on a chair, due to not wanting the liquids and crumbs to get on the case files they were borrowing.

“Here’s some oolong tea, Momoki. Careful, it’s hot,” Akihito said as he handed his friend a bottle. He himself took a green tea bottle and tried to cool it down with his hands. After a while of waiting, both of them took a drink from their tea bottles.

Convenience stores this time of year usually sold heated up tea bottles during the winter. Akihito had bought some due to their cheapness and on how refreshing it was to drink on a cold winter month.

“So, what about the Pyrotechnician case? Didn't that also involve my family?” Akihito asked, unsure if this could be related to the mysterious cane man and Kiki.

Momoki looked back in dismay. He seemed very gloomy. Clicking back the mechanical pencil again, he answered Akihito:

“The Pyrotechnician case had no relations to the Challenger or the Face Lifter case, Narihisago. Not only did it have a different number of victims, but also felt very random. I-I think that was actually just bad luck…”

Momoki struggled to say it out of his mouth, unsure about Akihito’s reaction. Akihito sighed before patting Momoki on the shoulder. His best friend had tried to find resolve from that case, but there had been no connections ever since. There was just nothing.

“It’s alright, Momoki. I got over that,” Akihito muttered, “Oh, while me and Hondomachi-san were facing the Face Lifter, he mentioned my name a lot. It seemed as if Muku was being targeted beforehand…”

“She was, Narihisago. During the interview, your daughter had mentioned about being followed for a few weeks. She just didn't seem to tell you because she was too scared about your reaction. Probably to stop you from limiting her activities.”

Akihito sighed and scratched his head. Maybe he might have been too harsh to Muku towards preparing for her high school entrance exams. He hoped she still had time to take the exams and make it into a good school. After all, this involved her future.

After a few more hours of investigation, Akihito and Momoki grew tired and laid down on the table. A few case files laid open in front of them. Akihito was yawning, trying to think up more clues and theories for their current investigation. There were still not many leads on Kiki and her disappearance.

“So far, the only clue we have gotten about Asukai-san’s disappearance is that there was some experiment being done that was called the Invasion of the Unconscious Mediated by Dreams. Seems like she was turned into an experiment of some sort by the hospital. It seemed to be related to a scientist that was experimenting on her…”

Akihito nudged his head in dismay. There were dead ends to everything so far. There weren’t enough clues to finding Kiki’s location. No wonder Momoki had asked him about his dreams lately. He probably believed that they could be related.

Counting on his fingers, Akihito listed some of the clues and hints they had so far:

“So we’re dealing with a mysterious person that seems to love the number seven, somehow is targeting my family and is related to me having dreams related to the ghost girl? That’s a lot to take in. We only have had two cases that have happened to me like that so far. All the other cases throughout the years have not correlated to these strange incidents, Momoki.”

“Do you just want them to be a coincidental thing, Narihisago? I don't blame you for wanting to believe that. These could all just be coincidence after all. We'll have to see if these cases continue or not. Please be more careful.”

“So, you want to just call it a night? Let’s go walk back home before it gets late again. I don't want to keep my family waiting, Momoki.”

“Alright. Let’s take a break for now. Thank you for coming to help me with these cases, Narihisago.”

The two men then packed up their belongings and suitcases and walked back home together. There had been no leads to anything with Kiki’s disappearance, but there seemed to be a troubling connection between Akihito’s dreams and the cases involving his family. But due to the lack of evidence and the two year time gap between the cases, there wasn't much to go by. But Akihito and Momoki continued investigating anyway, even while there were still many dead ends to their research.

They kept persisting.

Not long after, a special letter came in the mailbox. Akihito went to check due to the letter’s confidentiality being special. Taking out the letter, he quickly skimmed through it to see what it was about. There in big bold letters, it seemed to be a promotion from the Fukui Police Department as well as something else.

_Dear Mr. Akihito Narihisago,_

_Congratulations on your promotion from the Fukui Police Department. We have been offered to move you to another recently created sector that promotes new technology that lets us better solve crimes faster and catch criminals._

WE WELCOME YOU TO KURA, A WELLSIDE ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE TECHNOLOGY.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Seems like I been having alot of problems lately. My laptop suddenly died and won't boot and I hope I can retrieve my files and get it fixed. I was also looking for a new laptop in the meantime but with this virus going around, it's been kind of hard right now. Also super delayed editing because someone took too long so I'll probably get someone else and try self editing myself too. Might as well.  
> Having no access to draw and write online sucks but at least there's physical paper.  
> Chapter 8 won't be for a while until I get my laptop running again and my files and everything worked out. I'm so sorry. 
> 
> And thus this concludes the first arc! Also known as the Police/Fukui/Pre-Mizuhanome Arc, we are now transitioning to the Mizuhanome Arc. You will now finally see Sakaido in action soon enough! Stay tuned!
> 
> This is a very long chapter. Twice as long as before. It runs 11k words instead of the usual 5k. So please take your time reading this. It concludes the arc after all. 
> 
> Editing credits goes to Aydnweeb and Beta readings goes towards Rae (Raido) and Joshi.


	8. Promotion to Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cooldown chapter and transition to Mizuhanome Arc

File 8: Promotion to Tokyo

“Thank you all for joining us in this upcoming semester. Freshmen will be integrated into the school and given notice on how things work. Congratulations on passing the entrance exams and we look forward to seeing everyone this upcoming spring semester.”

The audience clapped while all the students were stood in the front of the gymnasium, all in order of their class numbers. Muku was in the middle of the crowd of students, and tried to look for her parents, who were in the corner with the other families. They were clapping along with the speaker.

Akihito was looking towards his daughter, Muku and congratulating her. Ayako was next to him, smiling back. But they could not see Muku due to the sheer crowds of students.

After the ceremony speech was over, everyone started moving around, looking for their families and friends to chat and discuss with. Muku walked towards her parents, Akihito and Ayako, who were waiting for her. They began to walk outside of the gymnasium and check out the rest of the high school.

A Tokyo-based high school.

Muku had managed to pass and get into a public high school in Tokyo. 

“Congratulations on making it in, Muku!” Ayako said, while she hugged Muku tightly.

Akihito was beside Ayako as they walked around the school courtyard. Many students were together in groups, exploring the school grounds before they left. He looked around for a quiet area of the school for a place to take a photo but there were too many people. There weren’t many options.

“There’s no good place to take a good photo around here,” Akihito muttered, scratching his head as one of his arms was holding a camera bag, “Wonder if Muku is fine with a bit of clutter in the background…”

“Aki-kun, you’re thinking of taking a commemorative photo?”

Akihito looked back at Ayako in dismay. After the crowds flooded the school outskirts after the ceremony, many families were all over the place chattering away nearby and planning schedules before the new semester began.

“Aya-chan, it’s alright,” he replied, looking back towards Muku, “It could be right next to the board like last time.”

Ayako quietly giggled before patting Akihito on the back.

“Aki-kun, so a similar location like the middle school ceremony photo? Sure, we can walk towards there.”

Muku was busy playing with her phone while she waited for her parents to stop talking. She touched one of her legs, feeling the injury. It had healed with surgery and having bandages patched over her legs. She then touched her face, which had a minor hole from the drill. It had also patched up from the surgery and hospital treatment. She let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“I’m fine, Dad,” Muku muttered, “Let’s get the photo over with…”

The three of them walked towards the entrance sign, where it pointed towards the direction of the high school entrance ceremony. A small row of cherry blossom trees were around them, creating a calming and pleasant atmosphere. Akihito went up ahead to position his camera and find a good spot to do a photo shoot without too many distractions.

“Move closer to the cherry trees, Muku,” Akihito said while showing them their positions, “Aya-chan, you can move a bit closer to the sign.”

He adjusted his camera and started to position himself in order to create a perfect shot.

“Say cheese!”

Ayako and Muku positioned themselves near the sign and smiled.

Click. Click. Click.

After a couple shots, a few people started walking past them as they wandered around the school gates with their students and families. As Akihito did some more photo shoots, he was approached by a passerby who offered to take the photo so that he could be in it with his family.

“Do you mind if I could take the photo for you?”

“What?”

“Don’t you also want to be in the pictures…as part of a family photo shoot?”

He looked back to see a female stranger looking back at him, offering to take the group photo for him. She seemed to be well dressed and was wearing a formal suit. Maybe her children could be attending high school too. She seemed generous enough to ask, so he allowed her to.

But before she was about to position herself and set up the camera, Akihito was trying to get her to capture the perfect shot based on the positionings of the cherry trees and the sign next to them.

“Say cheese!”

Click. Click. Click.

She snapped a couple shots of the three of them before returning the camera back to Akihito. He looked over at the photo shots that the lady took before thanking her. After waving goodbye for her help, he put his camera into his bag. Muku and Ayako were looking over the cherry trees, waiting for Akihito to finish checking his belongings so that they could leave the school surroundings and prepare for the new semester.

He smiled back at them, then started to walk towards them.

“I’m coming…”

After a couple weeks, Akihito had gotten the photos he took from the high school ceremony. He was preparing himself for the upcoming secretive meeting that was going to be held in Tokyo. After making copies of Muku’s events into an album, he made a few more copies to keep for himself. One of them was the high school ceremony photo.

“Aki-kun, are you getting ready for the meeting tomorrow?”

Ayako interrupted Akihito’s train of thought. He was looking back at the photo albums that he had brought from Fukui a few months back. They had moved to Tokyo since the special letter arrived at his Fukui home that promoted him towards an unknown sector known as Kura. It was apparently another police sector that was not known publicly and were recruiting members from all over Japan to help their cause.

He looked back towards his wife and tried to smile. Ayako softly touched his face.

“Are you doing alright, Aki-kun? You don’t need to push yourself so hard.”

Akihito grabbed her hand and touched them back.

“I’m fine, Aya-chan. It’s been months since the Face Lifter case, and Muku is doing fine in the new school…”

“I know about that, Aki-kun. We moved to Tokyo after the incident so that the killer would have trouble finding us, right?”

Akihito looked back towards the photographs he was holding and the wall in front of him. He closed his eyes.

“I-I don’t know. Momoki and I haven’t been able to get any clues so far about the killer that had targeted Muku yet,” he said while trying to sound reassuring towards Ayako, “We’ll see how this new job goes and I’ll find a way to protect ourselves, Aya-chan.”

Then the two of them hugged each other before getting back to business. After Akihito organized the photo albums and put them away, he went back to check up on Ayako and Muku. They were preparing for dinner for tonight. Muku was on the couch playing with her phone.

She looked back at Akihito and let out a sigh. She scratched her head, trying not to be embarrassed. He walked towards her and sat on the couch next to her. Ayako was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“Dad, are you just worried because I won’t be able to see my friends again? It’s okay, I have their phone numbers and everything,” she muttered while she scrolled through her phone.

She scrolled through a few pictures of her friends who had visited her at the hospital. And another photo of their celebration about getting into the high schools they wanted. Muku was dressed up in party hats and was having cake in some of the photos. Everything seemed to return to normal since the Face Lifter case.

“Plus, I can make new friends here and get to see some places that I wasn’t able to back in our old home! I could go check out Tokyo Tower and some cool landmarks around here…”

“That’s great, Muku. I was just worried about you…”

“I-I’m fine, Dad. You don’t have to worry so much about me. I’m a high schooler now. I’m not a little kid anymore.”

Akihito looked back at Muku before hugging her again. He didn’t know what to talk about or say. It seemed like Muku was fine, but he felt constantly worried about her for some reason.

After an awkward silence, Akihito got up from the couch before going back to his room. He walked towards the bed and laid down on it. He rubbed his eyes and tried to keep calm. Everything was going well. Everybody was doing fine.

He looked at the ceiling in front of him. There were some security cameras all over the new home. He had tried to install them as quietly as possible, but the noise that the drill made caused Muku to panic. It had reminded her about the Face Lifter, and she did not react well to certain sounds and noises that sounded like drills. After discussing the security camera situation with his wife, Ayako, she hastily accepted it for their safety.

But Akihito was unsure if it was the right decision. There was a potential risk of hacking, but since they had moved from their old home, it seemed unlikely that the killer could find them so quickly. But he had some countermeasures in place, just in case.

The next morning, Akihito dressed himself up for the meeting. He wore another suit and tie for the occasion and was preparing his suitcase and documents. Ayako came by the doorway to make sure everything was in place. She went up towards him and went to fix his tie.

“Aki-kun, did you contact Momoki-san about the location of the meeting place?”

“Well, we already planned on meeting together near the train station…I’m sure I won’t forget about it Aya-chan.”

She suddenly stopped fixing up his tie. Akihito was a bit freaked out by her reaction.

“Are you sure? You haven’t been sleeping well lately. Is everything going to be fine?”

Akihito patted Ayako on the shoulder. He just wanted the past incident to be just a memory and let them have a better life in Tokyo. After Ayako finished fixing up his tie, he quickly went to check his coat and his suitcases to make sure everything was in order. But as he was checking his things, something fell out of his coat pocket.

It was a high school ceremony photo. The three of them were posing in front of the camera and were standing near the cherry trees. The sign next to them read: High School Entrance Ceremony.

Ayako slowly took the photo off the ground and gave it back to Akihito.

“You made copies of the photographs just to keep them in your coat? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I could have accidentally ruined them while doing the laundry.”

He smiled nervously and took the photo, quickly putting it in his coat.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Aya-chan. I-I just wanted something to look at that reminded me of our family,” he said as he put his hand to his chin, “I also had other photos but they got ruined by the weather over the years…”

“Where are the other photos then?”

“In my room. Some of them are copies from Muku’s middle school ceremony a couple years back. I was just replacing them with her high school ceremony photo now…”

After explaining to his wife, Akihito prepared to leave for the meeting. He went to change his shoes and took his suitcase and phone. Ayako waved back and still asked him that he still contact Momoki for directions and their meeting place.

“Aya-chan, you worry too much. Things are finally looking up for our family. I got a promotion, Muku got into a good high school and we moved into a new location. I’m sure it will take a little getting used to, but I hope everything will get better for us…”

Then he shut the door behind him, with Ayako and Muku still inside the house.

“This is Chofu Station. Please take your belongings as you leave. Thank you.”

Clank.

Akihito made it to the train station on time and got onto the train. Looking around, he found a couple spots open. He sat down near the train doorway, where many passengers came and left between stations. Looking outside the windowed panel behind him, he thought about the times and struggles of moving into a new city.

He took out his phone and thought about contacting Momoki. He should be arriving soon in the next few stops. The signal bars were high, showing Tokyo’s high signal frequencies and connections were stable. As the train left each station, more people got on making it more and more crowded.

It was early morning rush hour.

“Dad, are we there yet?”

Akihito was on the train with his family, Muku and Ayako. They were exploring the new area and were stuck on the train with him with the other passengers. Looking outside the train window, he was on call with the moving company who was moving their belongings to the new house. Each of them was carrying a small bag of luggage as well.

“Not yet, Muku. But we’re almost there. We should be getting off soon…”

After a couple more stops, they got off at the station and walked outside. It was not as crowded and busy as they imagined. It was not the bustling busy Tokyo streets but more of a quieter suburban neighborhood. Muku felt a bit displeased but rent in inner Tokyo was more expensive than the other areas of the prefecture.

Akihito called a taxi and they went towards their new home. It was another small condo home and was in an apartment building. It wasn’t as big as their previous Fukui home, but they had enough for basic living and pricing. A couple blocks away, there was a train station near them.

He quickly took out his camera bag from his luggage and got ready to take a photo. There wasn’t much to take apart from the apartment building, so he took a quick shot so that he could remember the new building.

“Again? You take photos of every new home we live in, Dad!”

Muku seemed annoyed by her father’s habits. Ayako patted Muku on the back to reassure her that there was nothing wrong with doing it. Afterwards, they got into the new home. It seemed to resemble their old apartment unit in Fukui before they moved into a larger house since the Challenger incident.

Without blinking an eye, Akihito took more shots inside the house before their boxes arrived so that they could move everything in. He was also checking for places that could help him think about installing a security camera around the home.

Not long after moving in, Ayako and Akihito had a private conversation together. They tried to hide their plans from Muku.

“Aki-kun, you want to install some security cameras? Why do you want me to ask about that?”

Akihito sighed as he poured himself some tea from the teapot near them. He took some sips before responding.

“Well, I’m kind of unsure about installing it…”

“Why? Is something the matter with the safety measures that you put in place?”

“Aya-chan, I’m just afraid about potential hacking and being watched…”

Ayako took a cup of tea for herself as well and offered to pour some more tea into Akihito’s empty cup. He accepted her offer and took another sip.

“We’ll see…I just hope Muku won’t be home while I install it. Don’t want to scare her more than before.”

“Aki-kun, you need to rest. No need to overthink too much. Let us take some time to adjust to this place.”

“You’re probably right. I could use some rest.”

The two of them looked back to check if Muku was eavesdropping on them. Thankfully, no one was there. The sun was setting, and they continued drinking tea on the balcony to rest after a week of moving everything in…

“Narihisago?”

_Someone seems to be tapping on my shoulder. Who is that familiar voice?_

“Narihisago! It’s me, Momoki! Did you fall asleep on the train?”

Akihito opened his eyes to find Momoki touching his shoulders. Rubbing his eyes, he saw that the train had less people than before. He took out his phone to check the time. Thankfully, not much time had passed. He thought he was going to be late again.

He looked up to see Momoki standing beside him. Somehow, he managed to find him in this crowded train.

“How did you find me so quickly, Momoki? I wasn’t able to call you bac- “

But before Akihito could say more, Momoki shushed him. They had to be quieter inside the train, especially since there was a chance someone could be eavesdropping. One of the train rules was to be quiet, so they mostly saw people playing on their phones and listening to the announcements for the next stop. The flashing lights showed the next stop while a route was shown on top of the train car walls.

After a few more stops, Momoki grabbed Akihito’s hand and pulled him out of the way to their destination. He dragged along his suitcase and phone as they walked out of the station. They took a few minutes break while they rested in an outdoor seating area.

“Narihisago, I found you through your phone’s tracking app. It can tell me where you are,” Momoki said, trying to answer Akihito’s question, “I guess it was a good idea after all. Don’t want you to get lost on the first day of an important meeting in a new city.”

“What? You tracked me?”

“You don’t remember? Prior to both of us moving here, you asked for help so that we could figure out a route for work and find a good cheap residential area to live in. I-I also thought you wanted someone to know where you were, just in case of danger.”

Akihito slapped his own face and tried to wake himself up from the drowsiness. He really seemed more tired than he had led on. He was trying to hide it from his family as he prepared for the new job.

“Man, I guess I really am tired. Sorry for falling asleep. Didn’t want to cause you more trouble again.”

“Narihisago, it’s fine,” Momoki replied, “If I had chosen the wrong train car and timing, I wouldn’t have been able to find you in time and we would both have been late anyway..”

Momoki tried to laugh it off to calm Akihito down. It seemed to work. After a while, Momoki checked his phone again for the time. He checked the map on his phone and took out a physical map that he printed out.

“Okay, seems like I can probably get both of us there in time. Let’s go, Narihisago.”

Akihito smiled back and got up from the seating area. They both began to walk towards the meeting location.

“So, Momoki, what was up with the letters that were sent out? For a new sector, they sure seem secretive.”

Momoki pondered on while walking before they stopped at a street corner. He looked back at Akihito to give his answer.

“I was suspicious of the letter too, until I got it as well. I still don’t understand why the organization would want to choose us over other candidates…”

“So, you believe they’re legit? We even moved closer to Tokyo for this new job,” Akihito muttered, “I wonder what this Kura organization would want to use our skills for…”

“They will probably tell us at the meeting, Narihisago. But we would get more information once we’re actually at the job.”

After waiting for a while, they crossed the street and continued walking. Momoki kept checking his phone and the map for directions. They were getting close to the building. A large crowd in front of them were also walking in many directions for work as well.

There was a large building in view.

Once they went towards the building, they paused for a moment before going in. It seemed to be like a skyscraper, with some of the floors covered by blackened windows above them. There seemed to be something secretive and important going on inside.

“Are you ready to go in, Narihisago?”

Akihito nodded and they both went in.

After showing the receptionists a copy of the Kura letter at the lobby office, the two of them were led in by security into an elevator. They seemed to be going into a secretive meeting room. Akihito checked his phone to make sure they weren’t late. It seemed like they made it in on time.

“Thanks for the help, Momoki. I would have been late without you.”

“No problem, Narihisago. Let’s see what the Kura sector wants from us.”

They arrived at the meeting room. It seemed to be dimly lit, with a couple lights around them so that they could see the seats. A couple people had already arrived beforehand and were waiting for the last few people to show up. A large electric board was placed in front of them, so that they could show their presentation on the new technology. There was a pamphlet and a water bottle in front of each seat.

Akihito and Momoki quickly took a seat near the presentation board and skimmed through the pamphlet.

The new technology was called the Mizuhanome.

A couple people stood up from the presenter’s table and presented themselves as part of Kura. One of them came to the front, with his face hidden from the dim lighting inside the room. An assistant on one side of the presentation board was setting up near them.

“Thank you for joining us today. Everyone seated here today has been selected to join this new sector of the police force. We are created as a technology sector and hope to improve catching criminals in this society. Every year, many people are murdered by ruthless killers and we have had trouble capturing them. But today, this new technology can help us resolve this!”

Suddenly, the on-screen presentation board showed a photo. It looked like a circular virtual reality machine, with buttons on the side of the panel and a screen in front of it. It was a black and slender looking cockpit, like a futuristic machine.

“This is the Mizuhanome cockpit. Named after a Japanese water god, this will let you dive into a killer’s subconscious. It uses Freud’s principles on id, ego and superego, so that you can go into their subconscious and find clues to help in police investigations. Who knows what the killers are thinking? Now we can find out.”

Someone in the back raised his hand. They went on to ask a question.

“So, can anybody go into the cockpit? Or do you need to be tested as a candidate to use it?”

“That’s a good question,” said the presenter, “So far, we already have candidates for the cockpit. We are unsure about the side effects right now, but there is a place and role for everyone here.”

Akihito was feeling drowsy again. The dim lighting in the room wasn’t helping, instead making him feel more sleepy. Momoki was next to him, with his arms crossed. He seemed a bit wary of the cockpit.

“Any more questions? Good. Then let me move on.”

The presenter then changed the screen, revealing a different photo. It showed some sort of device, which was also colored in black. It looked like some monitor that was used to check metallic objects.

“This device here is called the Wakamusubi. Named after a Japanese harvest god, this object detects cognitive killer particles from the atmosphere and connects it to the Mizuhanome.”

Momoki was still thinking to himself, while Akihito was at the desk, trying not to fall asleep. Putting his hand on his chin, he tried to keep himself awake by sipping on the water bottle that they were given.

Momoki looked back at Akihito and tried to tap him awake so that he wouldn't look worse in front of the presenter.

“So, we got a water god and a harvest god. Together, they create an abundance,” Momoki muttered quietly to himself, “Wonder if they will show us what the Mizuhanome actually looks like.”

“Why is everything so dimly lit? Wish they had given us some coffee instead,” Akihito said, while trying to keep himself awake.

The images in front of them seemed blurry and bright in front of a darkened room. It felt like they were watching a movie instead of a presentation. The presenters seemed oblivious to it, muttering on and on about the new technology.

After about an hour of explaining the technicalities of the Mizuhanome, the presenter then started to explain about the main roles for this new technology:

“To operate the machine, we would need a main crew. It would consist of a main chief, who oversees the operating systems with the main staff. The main staff consists of a director, a general analyst, an interpreter, a people analyst and a location analyst. There would be common duties such as bodyguards for the location as well as staff for the Kura prison.”

“Kura prison?” Akihito said, rubbing his eyes, “So that means that we would have criminals inside the building.”

“Probably to be used to test the machine and see if their cognitive particles show up,” Momoki replied back, “We’ll have to see how the machine works.”

Immediately afterward, they were shown snippets of something strange. It seemed to look like parts of someone’s subconscious. It looked like a pool of water had sunken into the area. Many places seemed blurred out, as if to prevent the spectator from looking in.

“This,” the presenter said while pointing at the board, “…is called a well. You go into someone’s id and extract information from their subconscious. The staff would help the pilot in determining the clues that are needed to catch the criminals.”

_Water._

“Water?” Akihito muttered out loud. He looked right at his water bottle in front of him, confused.

“Narihisago, are you okay?” Momoki asked quietly, “I’ll get you some coffee as soon as we get a break.”

Scratching his head, Akihito was unsure where the voice came from. He smiled back at Momoki and nodded that he was fine.

Afterwards, the meeting ended, and they were told their next location. They were allowed a break, so Momoki and Akihito went towards the vending machines to get coffee.

Clank.

The vending machine dropped out some coffee cans. A few coins were being spewed out as change. Momoki grabbed the change and coffee cans and handed one to Akihito, who was leaning against the wall of a building corridor. They were not allowed outside for break due to security reasons, so they were left to look out the window through its darkened screens.

“Thanks for the coffee, Momoki,” Akihito said as he opened his can and gulped it down. It felt refreshing compared to the dreary dark room that they were in for hours.

“No problem, Narihisago,” Momoki replied as he opened his own can, “We may be able to leave the building soon. They can’t keep us in here forever.”

“I wonder what roles we would be given once we’re adjusting ourselves to Kura. They really didn’t specify anything apart from the main staff and a pilot.”

Momoki took a sip from his coffee. He looked back a bit skeptic about the sector.

“Narihisago, do you think Asukai-san could be in this sector?”

“Asukai-san? You haven’t mentioned her in months. I thought the investigation was on hiatus right now.”

“It is. I-I’m just wondering what happened to her.”

Akihito patted Momoki on the back. He knew that he had worried over Kiki since her disappearance and their failure to get anywhere had impacted his health for a while. Afterwards, they started chatting about their own adjustments to living in Tokyo and their arrangements.

Akihito pulled out the high school ceremony photo from his coat.

“Oh, Muku-chan got into a Tokyo high school? Congratulations, Narihisago!”

“Isn’t it great? This photo replaced the middle school ceremony one I had before.”

Momoki put his hand to his chin and looked closer at the photo that Akihito was holding in front of him.

“She sure grew taller compared to last time. Do you have the other photo to compare?”

Akihito felt nervous about the answer. He had put the older and damaged photos somewhere else than the new ones he made ever since he came to Tokyo. Shaking his head, he gestured that he didn’t have the photo with him.

“No worries about it, Narihisago,” Momoki muttered, “I was simply curious because usually you would have an older photo of Muku-chan to compare with and show to others apart from me.”

Not long after, they could leave the building and were given the location of the Kura building. It happened to be in Chofu, Tokyo. It happened to be at least thirty minutes away from their current location, by train.

“Man, and after all the mess of getting here in the first place,” Akihito complained, while he read the documents on the Kura sector, “Guess everything is expensive in Tokyo.”

“It sure is, compared to Fukui,” Momoki replied, “Let’s see what Kura has to offer for us. There has to be a reason why we got selected and promoted here.”

The sun began to set, and everything turned dark and dim. Akihito was back at his home, looking over the photos in his room. After he waved at his friend, Momoki, goodbye, they went back towards their Tokyo home. Muku was in the living room, playing video games, while Ayako was preparing dinner for them.

Momoki had mentioned to him about his middle school ceremony photo earlier that day. Akihito got up and went to look for the picture. It happened to be inside the ruined photo box, where many damaged photos were kept as a keepsake rather than something to look at. He fumbled through the damaged photographs to find the photo.

It was a bloodied torn up photo.

Ripped from the Challenger fight two years ago. The blood had damaged the photograph and caused it to stain brown over time.

Knock. Knock.

Ayako came into the room to check up on Akihito, wondering what he was doing inside his room. She looked around to find him looking over the photographs again. But the room seemed a bit too dim for him to see.

“Aki-kun, what are you doing there in the dark?”

Akihito gestured back to Ayako that he was fine and that he had some lamps around him to see. He didn’t want to damage the photographs in the room with too much lighting.

“It’s nothing, Aya-chan. You can go back to making dinner. I just didn’t want to bother you and Muku while we are adjusting ourselves to living here.”

“That’s alright, Aki-kun. So, what do you want to drink? Aren’t you thirsty?”

_Water._

“Water…”

Akihito quickly closed his mouth. He had spoken without thinking again.

“Just water? Don’t you want something fancier? Like some tea or juice?”

Akihito waved his hands at Ayako to show that he was just joking around. He scratched his head and looked away from her in embarrassment. What is that voice?

“N-No, I was just joking around. I’ll just have some green tea.”

Ayako then closed the door to get him some hot green tea to drink while he went back to sulk over the photographs inside his room. Akihito closed his eyes and wondered what was going on with his head.

Ever since he came to Tokyo, the dreams had increased. But there was nothing too serious about it so far.

_What does the ghost girl want from me?_

Later that night, Akihito went to sleep with his wife, Ayako in bed. He had tried to make her not worry about him, so he hadn’t been telling her anything about the dreams. He closed his eyes and hoped for the dreams to have an explanation.

Any explanation.

But so far, nothing.

_Water._

Drip.

Drip. Drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sound of the water droplets was getting to him. Then he suddenly felt like he was in the air before he plunged into the sea. Water was getting into his lungs. His nose. Everywhere.

_I opened my eyes and found myself underwater. Everything looked blurry, as I was underneath the water’s surface. Everything seemed cloudy and red, as if the water were tainted with blood. I struggled to breathe and move, but no air or voice came out._

_The ghost girl was above me, looking down at my struggling body. Her white dress and long black hair were the only visible marks that I could see. I couldn’t see her eyes, let alone her face. Everything was already blurry from the water but made worse with her face._

_She had no face. It was just blurred out as before._

_With every ounce of my strength, I try to let out a word to reach her. In one quiet voice that seems to be more of a whisper I said:_

_“Who are you?”_

But the girl didn’t say anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple chapters will transition into the Mizuhanome Arc and set up the main plot of the story. Cases from now on will be well cases and involve the Mizuhanome, Brilliant Detectives and Kura.  
> Rest of the Kura cast will be introduced next chapter, and there will be a 3-parter Introduction Special up next.  
> Since the laptop fiasco, it would take time for me to go from monthly updates to biweekly updates due to being behind schedule from my old laptop dying and having motivation to continue. Sorry about that.  
> Stay tuned!  
> Comments are greatly appreciated!  
> (I'll fix up some mistakes and suggestions from the betas once they get to it, and I'll just try to edit myself too)  
> Beta Read by Rae and Joshi and Edited by Ayden


	9. The Chosen Detective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 1 OF THE MIZUHANOME INTRODUCTION SPECIAL ( PART 1, PART 2, PART 3)
> 
> PART 1 OF 3

File 9: The Chosen Detective

“Aki-kun, Momoki-san is here! Did you prepare everything this time?”

Ayako was by the door, with Momoki waiting outside for Akihito. Akihito was busy getting all his documents and suitcase ready for their big day.

The day had come. The day to visit the Kura building that they were called in for a few weeks back. Momoki had discussed with Ayako about Akihito’s sleeping problems since he fell asleep on the train and was almost late to the meeting a few weeks prior. If it weren’t for Momoki’s actions in catching Akihito on the train, they would have been screwed by the authorities for their tardiness.

This time, Ayako asked Momoki to come to their Tokyo home so that they could go together for their big day. Muku was in the dining room eating her toast and preparing her school supplies as well as her money. Akihito was drinking his coffee while he double checked the location on the map.

“Is this the right location, Momoki?” Akihito muttered while he showed him the address from his phone and compared it to the map that was laid out on the table.

Momoki looked over Akihito’s shoulder and saw the address on the phone. It was the correct address that they were both given, so he nodded.

“Yes, Narihisago. I’ll wait for you to get ready outside- “

“Wait! You can just enjoy some snacks while I get my things! Please don’t trouble yourself even more.”

Akihito quickly gobbled up his toast, gulped his coffee, and went into his room to get changed. Momoki sat down near the couch, waiting for him. Muku also then went into her room to get the rest of her school supplies as well. Ayako was waiting patiently with Momoki while they sat down, watching Akihito and Muku frenzy themselves while getting their important materials to be ready for work and school.

“So, how has everything been Misses Narihisago?”

Ayako looked back at Momoki and chuckled. Ever since Momoki told her that Akihito almost missed the meeting due to him falling asleep on the train, she had been strict on what he was doing outside, making sure he did not get into any trouble.

There just had to be a reason for his sleep deprivation.

“Nothing much, Momoki-san. I’m still unsure of what has been stressing Aki-kun so much that he is having sleeping problems again. Everything seemed to work fine for the first few weeks before he suddenly had sleeping problems.”

“Did you offer him some sleeping pills or some sort of remedy?”

“We tried, but Aki-kun always rejects them. There must be something on his mind again.”

Momoki closed his eyes and posed his hands into a thinking position. Ayako was right, but it seemed like Akihito could have been pretending to be cheerful and happy so that they can move on from the Face Lifter case that had traumatized Muku a while back. But it could also mean…

“Momoki! I’m done changing. I got everything ready and prepared now. We can leave as soon as possible.”

Momoki looked up to see Akihito with his suitcase and papers ready. He was fidgeting for his phone and was making sure his photograph was still safe inside his coat. Right after Akihito’s remark, Muku came rushing out of her room with her backpack and phone ready as well. She seemed confident and ready to go to school.

“Dad, what took you so long? Aren’t you going to take me to the train station again?”

“Sorry, Muku. Dad is a bit forgetful today. I can walk with you to the train station today.”

Momoki looked up to see Akihito was struggling to hold a map along with his phone to double check the address again. He got up and grabbed the map from under his armpits while he was looking at his phone. Muku seemed a bit impatient and was looking at her phone to check the time.

Then Momoki offered to walk with Akihito and Muku to the train station.

“Are you sure, Momoki? You already waited for me and even came to my home just to make sure we could go to the Kura building together today…”

“It’s fine, really. I’m sure your daughter would be fine with me anyway. All of you have lived at my house before after all.”

Akihito thought back to what Momoki just said. He meant the time when he lived at his friend’s mansion right after the Challenger’s incident. He and his family had stayed there while the police investigated his home for evidence of a break-in and to give Akihito’s self defense testimony during the court case. After staying at Momoki’s home for a couple months, they moved into a bigger house to start anew again.

But that changed with the Face Lifter case. It seemed like the Narihisago family wasn’t safe from serial killers and Akihito had been rumored to be cursed a few times while he was in the Fukui Police Department.

Hopefully with a new life in Tokyo, they could move on from all the bad luck and hope there were no more killers going after them.

“Are you fine with it, Muku?”

“That’s fine, Dad. He is your friend after all. You two always go out drinking late at night and Momoki-san always brings you home on his back…”

“Shush, you don’t need to talk about _that_! Okay I get it. Now let’s get going.”

After Akihito and Muku waved at Ayako, the three of them embarked on their walk to the train station. Akihito took his phone out to look for the directions of the Kura building. Muku was skipping in front of them, looking back at them occasionally to see if they were still there.

“So, are you ready to get your _real_ job position, Narihisago?” Momoki asked while they were walking through a crowd of people going to work, “There seems to be many positions in the new Kura sector, so we should easily get something.”

“Probably as part of the normal staff,” Akihito muttered back, “I don’t know if we’re worthy of being part of the main Kura staff that deals with the machine.”

“Are you sure? We could go to that selective meeting after all, and they kept talking about the basics of the machine…”

“Momoki, I thought that meeting was for everyone that joined that sector, not just us.”

As Momoki and Akihito kept talking while walking along the sidewalks to the train station, Muku saw the train station not too far ahead from them. She turned around to wait for them to come closer to her.

“Guess we’re here, guess we'll split up now!” Muku said as she waved goodbye, walking towards the train station entrance.

But before Akihito was about to leave, he was promptly stopped by Momoki. He was pointing with the phone and the map towards the same train station.

“Seems like we’re also taking the train again, Narihisago,” Momoki said as he checked his phone for directions, “Which station does Muku-chan get off from?”

“Tokyo Station.”

“Looks like we’re going in the opposite direction of her school.”

The two of them then went into the train station and traveled towards the Kura building. Resting on the train, Momoki and Akihito were preparing themselves for their introductions into the new Kura sector. In the train full of crowded people, it was morning rush hour once again. They spent the rest of the trip resting on the train, while many people came and went.

After a couple stops, they got out of the train station and looked around. Not too far from them was the Kura building. It seemed hidden away and seclusive from the other residential houses nearby.

As they walked closer, the Kura building came into view. It seemed small from a distance but as it turned out, the dimmed glass windows had caused their view to become distorted from the building’s actual size. The building seemed to tower over the smaller residentials and other buildings nearby, despite not being a skyscraper that they had seen before inside inner Tokyo. But the building seemed wide enough to contain something enormous. The Mizuhanome.

“We’re here, Narihisago.”

“Wonder who is going to give us a tour of the building. The pamphlets and the meeting didn’t give us much apart from the basics, Momoki.”

“Guess we’ll have to find out.”

And the two men walked into the Kura building, hoping for more information on the new speculated technology and their new job positions.

“Welcome to Kura, Funetaro Momoki and Akihito Narihisago.”

They walked in and were greeted by an old man. He seemed to have been waiting for them for some time. He looked a bit fragile but kind, as he greeted them at the entrance. He had white hair pulled back by two small ponytails and a beard. He wore a brown suit, a light waistcoat, a white shirt, and a yellow tie. His eyes were closed but could somehow see them walking by.

He held up his right hand, as if he wanted them to shake hands with him. Akihito and Momoki looked a bit nervous at his gesture.

“Oh? I forgot that we’re not in Europe and the Americas anymore. Pardon me,” the man said as he held back his hand, “I just came back from an overseas trip, so I had to shake many hands there…”

Akihito and Momoki quickly bowed at the man, unsure if he was their assistant or advisor for the Mizuhanome. Upon seeing them bow, the man bowed back and clapped his hands. A few people showed up in front of them.

“What is it, Chief Hayaseura?” said one of the ladies, who was holding out a board filled with a list of names, “Are they the new members for this facility?”

“Chief?!”

Akihito and Momoki looked back at the old man in awe.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Takuhiko Hayaseura. I am the Chief of the Kura sector and the Head of the Wellside Organization. Please wait a moment while we get you two prepared for your new roles here.”

The Chief went on to discuss some duties with the ladies surrounding him. After a couple minutes with them, he turned around to tell Akihito and Momoki some news.

“Seems like there is a shortage of assistants around here. Everybody has been testing everything to make sure things are in order. So, in their place, I shall be your tour guide instead.”

Akihito seemed surprised by the Chief’s gratitude while Momoki felt uneasy. He had anticipated that they would get a tour but didn’t realize that they were going to be alone. There seemed to be no other people walking in, asking for a tour.

“Chief Hayaseura, where are the other Kura staff members? Did we come in too late for our first day?” Momoki asked, sounding a bit worried.

The Chief looked back at Momoki and touched his shoulder.

“Of course not. You two made it in time. There is no need to worry about such trivial things.”

Akihito then took out his phone and checked the time. Their arrival time did seem a bit later than the others, who were given an earlier time stamp to arrive at Kura. Did the Chief come here personally to greet them, or did he have some other motive?

“Now, shall we begin our tour of the Kura building?”

The Chief went towards the elevator and asked Akihito and Momoki to go in before him. They obliged and went inside, and the Chief began to push some buttons leading up to certain floors. Momoki noticed that some of the floors weren’t marked. The odd shaped numbers on the elevator seemed off-putting, but he let it slide for now due to a possibility of the Chief having some strange habits which were being reflected on the building.

They stopped on the 5th floor and were led into a sparsely lit hallway. The floor seem bare compared to the ground floor they were on a while ago.

“Would you like to see the Mizuhanome cockpit?” the Chief asked, while leading them down the hallway.

Akihito looked around the bare hallways and noticed a room they just walked past. It was locked down using a passcode and some keys, as if it were protecting something important inside. He wanted to ask the Chief about the room but didn’t want to interrupt the tour.

Soon, they stopped at another closed door. The Chief opened the door and showed them the room. In the center, there was a metallic looking futuristic device in front of them. The seating had a black leather covering and had two circular panels around itself. There was also a monitor set up in front of the cockpit as well.

“Can we touch it, Chief Hayaseura?” Akihito asked.

Momoki was leaning over to the cockpit and was trying to touch it as well. He leaned under the cockpit chair and saw the monitor with a green screen, showing a name on it. It seemed blurred out, as if it were still in its testing phase.

“You may, Narihisago-san. Momoki-san seems to be interested in this machine as well.”

Akihito immediately went towards the machine, staring in awe at the new technology right in front of them. They had only seen it from the photographs taken from the presentation meeting not too long ago, but he didn’t expect he would get to see the machine so quickly and upfront right afterwards.

The cockpit panels had big English letters with the words, Eject and Inject. They seemed to be starters for a manual dive, but it was possible that the machine was already linked through the building so that the main staff could launch a dive from another room.

Momoki was touching some parts of the Mizuhanome when he noticed some scratch marks and bits of dried blood from the backseats. It seemed it had already been used before.

“Chief Hayaseura, did anyone sit in this cockpit?” Momoki asked, hoping for a reasonable answer, “Is this machine really safe to use?”

The Chief chuckled at Momoki’s question.

“Of course, people sat on it. Why else would the cockpit not be used? You two were hired to work with this machine after all. There is still testing going on, but someone will definitely sit on it again.”

After Akihito and Momoki inspected the machine for a couple more minutes, the Chief then led them down the same bare hallway. It seemed never-ending, but they followed him towards the next room.

Not far from them, they saw a new set of aisles that seemed to house some glass walls. The rooms seemed bare, but they could make out some necessities such as a bed, a sink, and a table with a chair. There was a transparent door that was locked on all the rooms as well.

It looked like a prison.

“This is the Kura prison,” the Chief said, pointing towards the rooms near them, “Right now, they are empty. But we will eventually house some criminals in this part of the facility.”

Akihito thought back to the presenter that had mentioned the Kura prison housing criminals. Putting his hand to his chin, he thought that the criminals would be used to test the machine based on the meeting.

“Sorry to interrupt, Chief Hayaseura. I have a question,” Akihito muttered.

“Go ahead Narihisago-san. Ask whatever you like.”

“Are the criminals going to be in the cockpit?”

There was a moment of silence. The Chief paused for a moment before answering back.

“Criminals?” the Chief responded as he cleared his throat, “Why would we let a _criminal_ use the cockpit? There is already an exceptionally good candidate for the machine already, Narihisago-san. A special one.”

Momoki seemed confused by the Chief’s response but let it slide for now. They hadn’t been given their roles for the Kura sector yet, so he was unsure why he was showing them these important rooms so quickly. He looked back at Akihito in dismay and back unto the Chief.

Where were the other Kura staff members?

“I also have another question, Chief Hayaseura,” Momoki asked this time, “How come only the two of us are being shown these rooms right now? What happened to everyone else?”

The Chief looked back at Momoki and then led them out of the Kura prison hallway.

“They already had their tours done by my other assistants, Momoki-san. You will see them once we finish the rest of the tour. Just be patient and we will get a break soon.”

Afterwards, they went back into the elevator again. The Chief pushed the button to get them to the top of the Kura building. Once they were out, he led them outside onto the Kura rooftop.

“There is a small helicopter base over there,” the Chief said, pointing towards the edge of the rooftop with some marks on the ground, “It’s only to be used for emergencies, but exceptions will be made for any medical issues that may occur."

Akihito and Momoki walked around the rooftop and looked out towards the smaller buildings around them. The building really seemed taller than it looked from the distance. The people at the bottom seemed like grasshoppers below them.

“After this, I’ll show you one more room before break, then we have one last room to go through,” the Chief said as he led them back inside, “I know that you two are curious about what your new jobs will be, but it will be a surprise in the end.”

They went back into the elevator, and Momoki noticed that the Chief pressed the button towards the 7th floor. This time, the floor seemed airier and more open as compared to the 5th floor’s lack of décor. The hallways seemed wider and there were more people going in and out of the building. He led Akihito and Momoki towards the middle of a busy hallway, filled with people double checking their documents and papers and being led by others toward different areas of the floor.

The Chief then led them towards a larger door, which had a larger handle. He slowly opened the door to reveal another room.

“This is the Wellside Room. This is where the Kura main staff operates the Mizuhanome.”

Akihito and Momoki were in awe at the size of the room. Covering two floors, the room had natural light flowing in from the slightly opaque rooftop above them. There were transparent screens all over the room, giving a very futuristic vibe to the place. In the center of the room, there seemed to be some 3-D like model floating around.

Not far from them, there were a few people still inside the room, and they seemed to be arguing over something. One of them seemed to be munching on some food.

“Come on, Wakashika-san, it’s almost lunch break. The Chief said that he would let us go soon. Don’t eat inside the room,” said a young man, who had spiky hair and dark brown eyes. He seemed to be lecturing the other man on discipline and following the rules.

“It’s fine if other people don’t notice it,” replied the other man, who had his hair pulled back by a hairband, “Habutae-san, give me a break once in a while.”

They kept talking until they noticed Akihito and Momoki watching them from afar, looking surprised. Not too far from them, the Chief was looking at them from a distance.

“The Chief is right there!” the spiky haired man exclaimed towards the man with the hairband, “Hide it now before you get in trouble!”

He quickly turned his back from the other man while looking calm and professional in front of Momoki and Akihito. They seemed to be the newcomers to the Kura sector as well.

“I’m sorry for making a very first bad impression,” the spiky haired man said, looking at Momoki and Akihito, “We’ll get out of the room as soon as possible…”

“Wait, what are your names?” Akihito asked, “You two seem to be close already.”

“If you insist,” the man muttered under his breath, “My name is Masamune Habutae. This man here that was trying to hide eating some _food_ is named Kazuo Wakashika…”

“Hey! You didn’t need to call me out like that!” Wakashika answered back, a bit annoyed.

“Pardon us, it’s already lunch break,” Habutae said, pulling Wakashika out of the room with his arms, “You are welcome to look around the Wellside Room. Sorry for the trouble.”

Pieces of onigiri fell out of Wakashika’s pants, leaving a small trail of rice. Akihito and Momoki looked at the two of them in dismay while Habutae dragged Wakashika outside of the room.

“Don’t mind them, Narihisago-san and Momoki-san. They are newcomers as well. They got their briefings done already. If you have any more questions, just ask me,” the Chief said, “Habutae-san and Wakashika-san already seem like they’re becoming fast friends. That’s nice.”

After the awkward encounter, Akihito and Momoki went to inspect the Wellside Room. the 3-D model floating figure kept catching their eye, so they asked what it was.

“This virtual model creates a 3-D version of the Mizuhanome well. It lets the main staff find clues and help the pilot in real time.”

“What kind of clues?” Akihito asked.

“Clues that cannot possibly be found in physical searches, but they give us insight on their memories and their weaknesses.”

After Akihito and Momoki looked around the room and climbed up to the 2nd floor, the Chief called them back down for lunch break. Wakashika and Habutae had already mentioned a lunch break not too long ago.

“’I’ll show you two the last important room after lunch,” the Chief said, leading them out of the room, “If you remembered where the other two men went, they went to the cafeteria.”

“Where’s the cafeteria?” Momoki asked, “Is it on this floor?”

“Oh, it’s not here. It’s on the 2nd floor. You two are welcome to walk around the building and ask the other people around here for directions. I’ll see you two again after lunch.”

The Chief waved back at them, and left Akihito and Momoki right in front of the Wellside Room, confused and surprised at their new boss. After asking for directions from the other people rushing towards their lunch break, they managed to find the Kura cafeteria, which had been filled by a couple people eating at several tables already.

“Are you hungry, Narihisago?” Momoki asked, “We can try to look for those two who we saw inside the Wellside Room and ask about the other staff members and what they do.”

“Good idea, Momoki,” Akihito muttered back, feeling a bit tired from walking all over the building, “I could use some food right now. It’s still strange that we haven’t been given our job roles yet.”

“The Chief probably is really busy right now. Hope he didn’t forget about us.”

“I don’t think he would forget us so easily when he personally came to greet us at the front entrance, Momoki.”

After they got their lunch, they saw Wakashika and Habutae not too far from them. They were at another table and chatting with some unfamiliar faces. One of them looked like he was wearing glasses and had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail. His tall figure seemed to tower over the other two even while sitting down.

“Hello, my name is Akihito Narihisago,” Akihito said, trying to introduce himself as he approached their table, “Momoki and I haven’t been given our job roles yet so we don’t know what we should be doing right now…”

Wakashika and Habutae turned back and were surprised to find them there. The tall man sitting with them was drinking his tea and ignoring their surprised reactions.

“So, who are these two new people?” asked the tall man.

“Shiratake-san, these were the people I was talking about,” Wakashika said, leaning on the table, “They saw me get caught!”

“Be quiet, Wakashika-san,” Habutae muttered back, eating his udon, “It just happened to be bad timing. The Kura sector is still new and getting new members every day. Don’t be surprised when we get more.”

The tall man then turned to face Akihito and Momoki, looking them in the eye. He tapped his glasses before making his statement:

“Welcome to Kura. My name is Sennosuke Shiratake. My job is being a crime scene analyst inside the Wellside Room. I look over the locations of wells to pinpoint their place. You two are welcome to sit at our table.”

Akihito and Momoki gracefully obliged to his offer and both sat down at their table. He looked back sternly at Wakashika and Habutae, as if he were judging them.

“You didn’t tell them your _jobs_? Is this how you treat the newcomers?”

“Come on, Shiratake-san! They had the Chief with them! And I was uh…. don’t need to be reminded of _that_ …” Wakashika exclaimed back at Shiratake before looking back at Akihito and Momoki.

“The Chief was with them?” Shiratake said, now suddenly curious, “That’s new. Normally, newcomers don’t get a briefing from the Chief himself.”

“Chief Hayaseura?” Momoki asked back, before introducing himself this time, “My name is Funetaro Momoki and I am new to the Kura sector as well. Is there anything special about being briefed by the Chief personally?”

“The Chief only personally briefs people that he knows he will contact the most. That means that you two will fill some particularly important positions.”

Meanwhile, Wakashika was counting with his fingers on how many times the Chief had briefed with others. There weren’t that many from the looks of it.

“There’s been me…Habutae-san…Shiratake-san…Togo-san…Kokufu-san…”

Momoki suddenly looked shocked. As if by someone’s name.

“Togo-san? Is her name Sarina Togo?”

“Wow. How did you know her full name? Have you met her before, Momoki-san?” Wakashika remarked, sounding a bit surprised.

“Well, it’s a long story…” Momoki said as he covered his face. Togo had not told him about her sudden transfer. He had thought that she had just rejected and ghosted him. He would inevitably have to meet her this time, in Kura.

After a moment of silence for Momoki, Wakashika and Habutae began to properly introduce themselves and tell Akihito and Momoki about their jobs.

“My name is Kazuo Wakashika and my job is being an interpreter in the Wellside Room.”

“Interpreter?” Akihito asked, while eating some curry rice, “Is it like another detective job? Would you have to compete with the pilot for clues inside the wells?”

“You could put it that way. It is kind of like a detective job, because you have to interpret the same way as a detective does, but you’re outside the well and using the clues you could find as well as those that were brought up by everyone else.”

After Wakashika’s proper introduction, it was Habutae’s turn. He cleared up his throat before making his statement:

“My name is Masamune Habutae and my job is being a people analyst in the Wellside Room. I use information and data about human behavior to help predict a killer’s next actions inside a well, based on the clues there. Sometimes, there could be victim’s faces inside some of their wells that can pinpoint to their murder or hiding location.”

It seemed like the new people that Akihito and Momoki had met were part of the main Kura staff that helped operate the Mizuhanome. But they hadn’t mentioned the other members’ roles and if there were any pilots or testing going on so far.

“S-So, where’s Togo-san?” Momoki asked, sounding a bit embarrassed. His curiosity got the best of him, but he wanted to know what Togo had been doing these past couple months before he got ghosted by her.

“Togo-san?” Wakashika answered back, “She’s just helping Kokufu-san with his duties. She is working as a general analyst right now but seems like Kura has been waiting for some people to fill in some director positions lately.”

“Yeah, there are still some missing positions right now, such as a full-fledged Director and a Pilot,” Habutae muttered back, drinking a box of an energy juice drink, “It’s possible that you two could be filling these positions.”

Momoki immediately thought about the slightly worn-down seat of the Mizuhanome cockpit. Didn't these people know that the machine had already been used?

“Wait, there hasn’t been a Mizuhanome Pilot yet? But hasn’t the seat already seemed a bit use- “

But before Momoki could finish saying his question, Habutae quickly covered his mouth. There were people watching them now. They didn’t want them to reveal anything classified.

“Watch what you’re saying, Momoki-san,” Habutae whispered after he removed his hand off Momoki’s mouth, “This sector can get more secretive than they let on.”

Afterwards, there was an announcement that the lunch break was over. Many people began to clean up their plates and take them to the cleaning section of the cafeteria. Akihito and Momoki thanked the other members for talking with them and told them that they still had the rest of the tour to finish.

“Have fun with the rest of the tour, Narihisago-san and Momoki-san,” Shiratake said as he showed them the way back towards the Wellside Room, “You two will probably get your newfound roles once the tour is over. The Chief must really like you two to brief you both so personally.”

As the two of them were waiting by the Wellside Room, the Chief came back from his lunch break. He saw Akihito and Momoki leaning by the door waiting for him. He waved his hands at them to get a response from the two of them waiting by the corridor.

“Ah, Narihisago-san and Momoki-san. Thank you for waiting for me. Did you two enjoy your lunch at the cafeteria?” the Chief asked cheerfully, before leading them straight down another unfamiliar hallway.

“Yes, Chief Hayaseura. We managed to talk with some of the main Kura staff about their roles and was wondering what kind of job we will get…” Akihito replied, scratching his head.

Meanwhile, Momoki was still thinking about the used Mizuhanome cockpit and what it meant for the pilot, so he didn’t say anything. They would have to finish the tour first and get their job positions, then he could ask more information about Kura.

This time, the Chief led them to the ground floor, which was near the area where they had first entered at the front entrance of the building. He opened another door, which showed a few people looking at many different monitors inside the room.

“This is the security room. Just in case you two were skeptic about this sector’s security. Don’t worry about it,” said the Chief, “We have state of the art security cameras all over the buildings so that no one can easily break in and take our secrets from here.”

Akihito then noticed that the real camera footage seemed to have no sound.

“Chief Hayaseura, why doesn’t the security camera footage have sound?”

“Good question, Narihisago-san. It is due to privacy reasons, but the cameras do have a feature of recording it if there is an exceptional reason for it.”

As the Chief and Akihito were discussing the security camera footage, Momoki was looking between the camera room and the dimly lit hallway of the ground floor. After they finished inspecting the security room, the Chief led them back to the Wellside Room.

This time, he seemed to slow down his pace as if he wanted more time with them.

“Are you two wondering why you saw the Mizuhanome cockpit first? It is related to your new job positions,” the Chief muttered slowly, “I will tell you two your new job titles, but not until you answer a few more questions.”

A few more questions. But Akihito and Momoki were finally getting briefed on their new job now. They just needed to answer a few more questions.

The Chief first turned towards Akihito and started patting his shoulder. Then he began to ask his question:

“Narihisago-san, do you wish to protect your loved ones?”

The answer seemed obvious.

“Of course, I do. I would do anything to protect my family.”

“ _Anything_?”

“Yes.”

Then the Chief turned towards Momoki and touched his shoulder as well, this time holding unto it firmly instead of patting his shoulder like he did with Akihito.

“Momoki-san, do you wish to lead?”

Did the Chief anticipate anything from him? It sounded like something Matsuoka would say. Momoki felt perplexed by the question.

“Lead what, Chief Hayaseura?”

“Lead a team, Momoki-san. Your skills and leadership potential are exceptional. Guide everybody to your vision. To become a leader.”

It sure sounded like a typical generic motivation phrase that any company would spout at their employees. Momoki thought for a moment before answering. Maybe it was best just to go along with it.

“Yes, Chief Hayaseura.”

The Chief smiled back and hugged the two of them.

“Congratulations, Narihisago-san and Momoki-san. You two are chosen as the Mizuhanome Pilot and the Director of Kura.”

A few weeks later, the Kura sector had begun testing again. The Chief then selected some field analysts so that the main Kura staff could communicate with other organizations and sectors from the outside. Momoki was waiting by the Wellside Room, hoping that Akihito was fine being chosen as the Mizuhanome Pilot.

Since the revelation, the main Kura staff members had reacted enthusiastically to their promotion and their new job positions and were trying to help them get the hang of their work as well. Togo had arrived later and was surprised to see Momoki there too. Everything seemed new and refreshing, especially with a full main team now for Kura.

Momoki looked up to see someone walking closer towards him. His face looked familiar.

“Congratulations on becoming the Director of Kura, Momoki-san.”

He turned around to see Matsuoka and someone shorter that was close to him. It was Hondomachi. Their small team of field analysts had been briefed by the Chief after Akihito and Momoki had their job positions announced.

Momoki shook his head from Matsuoka’s response and turned away from them.

“Why are you being so gloomy, Momoki-san?” Matsuoka muttered, “Isn’t this good news? You’re finally getting a leadership role for once.”

“I-It’s okay, Matsuoka-san,” Momoki replied back, with his arms crossed, “I’m more concerned about Narihisago being chosen as the Mizuhanome Pilot. He hasn’t been tested yet and we haven’t seen any other candidates show up either.”

“Well, isn’t he being tested now, Momoki-san? The Mizuhanome is still in its testing stages before we officially get offered a case after all. Just give Narihisago-san some time to adjust.”

Then, Hondomachi waved her hands at Momoki. She had wanted to see Akihito after so long but had gotten scolded and punished by Matsuoka for her actions at the Face Lifter case. The two of them immediately stopped talking once they realized that Hondomachi wanted to say something.

So Hondomachi tried to speak.

“Momoki-san, I’m sure it will be fine. Narihisago-san has accepted his role as a Mizuhanome Pilot, but we would still have to observe him in case he had any side effects…”

“NARIHISAGO ISN’T A GUINEA PIG!”

“Calm down, Momoki-san. They probably already have the basics tested already. Narihisago-san will be fine,” Matsuoka said, holding his arms up in defense, “There must be a reason why he was chosen compared to all the other detective candidates out there.”

Momoki sighed and felt regret for getting angry with Matsuoka and Hondomachi. It wasn’t their fault nor cause for concern. He was now the leader of a different sector, and it was not like a usual police job. He had to be secretive with what he was doing and what he was showing to the public.

Then an announcement suddenly turned on.

“CALLING FOR DIRECTOR MOMOKI TO GO INTO THE WELLSIDE ROOM ON THE 7TH FLOOR. PLEASE COME IN FOR THE TESTING OF PILOT NARIHISAGO.”

“It seems to be calling for you, Momoki-san,” Hondomachi muttered, “Matsuoka-san and I will be on the 2nd floor of the Wellside Room looking over everything.”

Momoki waved at Matsuoka and Hondomachi as they left the Wellside Room and went towards a different floor so that they could observe from a different room. He caught his breath and slowly walked into the Wellside Room.

The room that he would spend most of his time testing with this new machine.

Momoki looked up to see all the main Kura staff in their seated positions. They had done most of their training, but still hadn’t had a chance to test the Mizuhanome with a pilot before. Seemed like they were just as new to the technology as he was.

“Is everyone in position?” Momoki said as he looked up and around himself. Togo was next to him, inspecting the 3-D model of the well that Akihito was going to go into. Just a simple testing well to see how he would function.

“YES.” Said everyone in unison.

“I’m sorry to repeat this again, but can everyone say their roles again? I still need to take time to remember everyone’s names and job titles…”

Funetaro Momoki, the Director of Kura.

Sarina Togo, the General Analyst and Assistant Director of Kura.

Kazuo Wakashika, the Interpreter of Kura.

Masamune Habutae, the Human Resources/People Analyst of Kura. 

Sennosuke Shiratake, the Crime Scene/Location Analyst of Kura.

Shirou Kokufu, the assistant to the Assistant Director of Kura.

And finally, …

Akihito Narihisago, the Chosen Mizuhanome Pilot of Kura.

Suddenly, a speaker from inside the Wellside Room turned on. After a couple of noises and volume adjustments, the Chief came up from the speaker to talk to Momoki and Akihito from their different locations.

“Momoki-san and Narihisago-san, today we will be testing the two of you officially in this testing well. I hope that everything will go well for you, so take your time adjusting to the new sector…”

“I have been doing fine, Chief Hayaseura,” Momoki responded, “I have been working with others on making sure the Mizuhanome will be safe to use on Narihisago…”

Then, another muffled voice came up from the speaker. It seemed to be from Akihito’s communication system from inside the Mizuhanome cockpit room.

“Momoki, I’m here,” Akihito said back, “Chief Hayaseura had mentioned that I would forget who I am when I dive into a well, so I’m not sure how it will go…”

“You forget who you are? Who do you become then?”

“From what I have read from the Kura documents, it seems like I would become a different person. I would take on a persona…”

“A-Are you fine with this, Narihisago?”

Momoki then heard more muffling again before Akihito tried to respond back. After a few crackling noises, he went up online again.

“There seems to be some sort of person I’ll have to meet when I dive in as well. Think the name was Kaeru. I’m not sure if it will be an actual frog, because they already seem too small to see even in real life…”

After a few more chitchats between Momoki and Akihito through the speakers and communication systems, it was time for the testing. Everyone got their positions ready and made sure that Akihito was connected properly through the Mizuhanome cockpit from a different floor.

Now it was time for the Mizuhanome dive.

Momoki closed his eyes, praying that Akihito would be fine and come out unscathed by this new technology. He would have to do more research on Kura and the Mizuhanome so that he could keep his friend safe.

“INJECTING PILOT NARIHISAGO NOW.”

.

..

…

…..

In an instant, Momoki saw something lit up on the 3-D virtual map inside the well. It seemed to be a figure of a person waking up from slumber. He called for everyone to inspect the speculated location of the well and the mysterious person inside the well. Habutae went up and showed Momoki the person that they were seeing.

The man looked just like Akihito, with his spiky pink hair sticking out and his green eyes glittering off from the reflection of the well’s interior. He wore a long brown trench coat, wearing a lighter shirt and a black undershirt. He wore large flared black shorts, followed by black leggings and trainers. But the most noticeable feature of this person was his very visible yellow scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

“He really does look like Narihisago…” Momoki muttered to himself.

“We’re getting a read on his speech patterns, Momoki-san,” said Wakashika, “Do you want to hear it?”

“Show it, Wakashika-san.”

The speech played out like a detective game, as if to solve a mystery. The man with Akihito’s face walked all over the well and seemed to be looking for something. Then in an instant, he stopped in his tracks once he spotted something.

It looked like a little girl, who seemed to be dead for some time. Her body was covered with her own blood.

_“Kaeru-chan. I don’t know her, but I know my own name now. My name is Sakaido. I don’t have a last name, but no matter. My name is Sakaido and I am here to solve the mystery of Kaeru-chan’s death.”_

But Momoki spotted something even more familiar.

“A-Asukai-san?”

Kaeru looked just like Kiki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of the Mizuhanome Intro Special. From now on, there will be a few specials sprinkled into the series from time to time. It will help set up the main plot and create the tension needed for the later cases. Since these are specials, they are still related to the plot and the series, but are like longer episodes compared to the usual case files.  
> There is also a total of 5 arcs in this series. This is only the 2nd one, but is also the longest compared to the later arcs.  
> Please stay tuned for more!  
> Comments are greatly appreciated!  
> ( I'll still be editing myself and getting beta read and editing again as well)  
> Beta Read by Joshi and Rae and Edited by Ayden


	10. John Walker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 2 OF THE MIZUHANOME INTRODUCTION SPECIAL ( PART 1, PART 2, PART 3)
> 
> PART 2 OF 3

File 10: John Walker

\--Flashback—

“Chief Hayaseura, why was Narihisago-san chosen to be the Mizuhanome Pilot?”

Momoki was standing in front of the desk inside the Chief’s office, which was on the 6th floor. The office was spacious and had a large couch and a table in the middle of the room. After their initial job announcement, Momoki and Akihito had gotten separated to get more personal briefings on their jobs.

But Momoki had become worried about his friend and on why he was chosen. Did Akihito have something that the other candidates didn’t have?

“No need to worry, Momoki-san. You and Narihisago-san still have time to make your decision on accepting your roles…. or not. It would be a shame if I lost two perfectly capable men so quickly. Everything has been accounted for, however. So, make your decisions before I finalize everything.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Chief Hayaseura.”

Momoki quickly bowed back before leaving his office. Akihito was standing near the front door, waiting for his friend’s response in the matter. He had gotten briefed on more information on the Mizuhanome and was unsure of himself.

“You’re back, Momoki,” Akihito muttered back, trying to smile, “How did the questioning go?”

Momoki scratched his head in dismay. It hadn’t gone as planned.

“Nothing, Narihisago. Seems like the Chief won’t budge on why he had chosen you. But you still need to make a decision soon…”

Akihito sighed back. The two of them had been thrown into a spectacle of new technology and were even given the chance to see the machine firsthand. But for some reason, he felt an urge to accept the role, as if someone wanted him there…

Now the two of them were stuck with a choice:

Join Kura and accept their new roles or reject it and go back to Fukui.

The two men then went their separate ways and went back to their Tokyo homes, hoping their family and companions could help them in making their decision.

Akihito came back home to find Muku at the dining table and Ayako greeting him near the front door.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome home, Aki-kun. How did the job briefing go?”

“It went okay, Aya-chan.”

A few hours later, the Narihisago family were sitting at a table eating dinner. Muku was looking at her phone while Akihito was sulking with his dinner, making Ayako a bit annoyed.

“Muku, stop playing with your phone and eat.”

She then turned to face Akihito, who was then slowly munching on his food.

“What’s wrong, Aki-kun? Did something happen at the briefing?”

“I-I don’t know what I should do, Aya-chan. Should I take the job or not? It’s about testing new technology to capture killers…”

Ayako seemed a bit surprised and in awe at the information. Usually, Akihito didn’t tell them much about his cases and his police work at home, due to not wanting to frighten Muku.

But this time it was different.

Ayako touched Akihito’s shoulder softly.

“Do you believe it’s what _you_ want to do? This is a new job opportunity for you, and I don’t want us to ruin your chances because of it.”

“I-It’s not that. It’s something more personal…”

Muku stopped eating to look back at her father. She seemed a bit curious about what her parents were talking about.

“Didn’t you go through all the trouble just to move us to Tokyo? You wanted me to go to a Tokyo high school after all…”

“Well, Muku. I- “

“No buts, Dad! Just take the job! How bad can it be? It’s probably better than being upfront on the police cases in the front lines like before.”

After Muku gave her reason, she quickly finished her plate and left the table, leaving Akihito and Ayako surprised at their daughter’s response.

“Want to discuss it later, Aki-kun?”

“Sure, Aya-chan…”

Later that night, Akihito and Ayako had a private conversation near their balcony. The moon from the sky glimmered through their windows. Ayako made them both some tea to drink while they spoke with each other.

Akihito took a sip and looked outside from the balcony.

“Should I accept the job position, Aya-chan?”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

“Well, there is a security risk. And I could end up…not being myself anymore.”

Ayako softly touched Akihito’s hands, which were shaking. He calmed down a bit afterward.

“If I do end up like that, would you still love me, Aya-chan?”

Ayako giggled and hugged Akihito. She knew that he meant well, but just had trouble with words sometimes. She then touched his face.

“Aki-kun, you always do what is best for our family. Of course, I would still love you, and take care of you. There is no reason to worry about something like that.”

After discussing with Ayako about his job implications and new tasks, Akihito became more confident in accepting the job. But first, he had to call Momoki.

“Wait a moment, Aya-chan. I should talk to Momoki about it again.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

Akihito quickly took his phone out and called Momoki. Fortunately, he happened to be awake as well, pondering and waiting for his friend’s response to the job.

“Narihisago, you said you will accept the job?”

“Yes. Think I can accept it now.”

“What was the reason for it?”

Akihito snickered through the phone line. It had been a while since he had felt happy.

“It’s like what the Chief said, I want to protect my family. So, I’ll accept the job, Momoki. Don’t risk losing your position because of me.”

“Alright, Narihisago. But I’ll also accept my position so I can protect you as well. There still isn’t much information on the machine after all. I don’t want you to get severely impacted by the cockpit.”

“Roger that, Momoki.”

“Also, I called Togo-san and she said that she didn’t forget about me. Her phone broke so she had no way to contact me. It’s all good now.”

“That’s great, Momoki! Let’s hope she doesn’t do that to you again…”

The next day, the two of them accepted their job positions from the Chief. They had officially joined Kura.

\-----

“Momoki-san, is something wrong?”

Momoki had been fixated at the dead little girl inside the Mizuhanome testing well for some time before Togo quickly tapped his shoulder to get him to snap out of it. He looked back in shock before he regained his composure.

“Ah, it’s nothing, Togo-san. I’ll get back to observing Narihisago…”

.

..

…

….

Sakaido walked closer towards Kaeru, trying to examine her. He looked all around the environment that he was in. The place was full of water. All around him, there were pools of water all over the place. With just one object to decorate the bleak, blueish tint of the well.

Kaeru. With her body covered in blood, her head laid face down on the cold ground of the well.

But as he got closer, he suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Sakaido felt confused about this feeling, scratching his head.

_I don’t know who I am, but I feel as if I have seen her before…_

He kneeled and slowly grabbed her body, making sure that her blood didn’t touch his clothes. He slowly turned her head so that he could see her face.

A blank expression. No emotion. Her dead green eyes stared blankly at him. Her long black hair fell on her face again, creating a grisly appearance of a ghost. Her white dress hung low, covered in blood.

“There are no signs of stab wounds around her body, yet she is covered in blood.”

Sakaido looked around again, but the well had nothing sharp or poisonous that could cause her death. He would have to look around the well more. He then checked her lips and found them to be blue, which was a sign of lack of oxygen.

The only closest thing to die from lack of oxygen was drowning inside the well.

“Wait, then that means it’s not her blood. Who put her here? Is this a trap?”

Suddenly, the pools of water surrounding him started pouring in. It started to get into the bare room that he was in, leaking into all four corners of the walls. Holding onto Kaeru, Sakaido tried to swim out of the room to no avail.

He was trapped here.

Struggling to breathe, the water slowly went into his lungs. Bit by bit, the cold water surrounding him felt warmer and warmer as his eyes started to cloud. Everything started fading to black.

_Is this what death feels like?_

Sakaido was floating in darkness, feeling all alone. He felt himself fall apart and break into pieces. He felt as if he was alone. His body felt like glass as if he were being pulled apart.

_My body feels numb. Is anyone there…_

Then, something warm started to wrap around his body. He opened his eyes and saw a floating figure of a girl holding onto him. She seemed like an angel in front of him.

An extreme sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him again.

The girl looked familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint who she was.

“Everything will be okay, Sakaido. I will always be with you every time you die.”

….

…

..

.

“NARIHISAGO!”

Akihito opened his eyes to find himself inside the Kura Infirmary. Momoki and the rest of the Kura staff were beside him, making sure that his vitals were stable. Matsuoka and Hondomachi were near the entrance of the Infirmary doorway, to make sure that no one was coming to inspect them.

“Where am I?”

“Narihisago, you collapsed from the cockpit. You’re in the Kura Infirmary on the 3rd floor. Are you okay?”

Akihito rubbed his eyes to see what was going on. Everybody seemed worried about him, but for some strange reason, it felt as if the death was more of a dream than a nightmare. He had just died inside the well as Sakaido, yet he didn’t get any painful memories from it.

It felt almost natural. It was as if he was being protected by something.

“I’m fine, Momoki,” Akihito muttered back, “I came back fine, okay? There’s nothing wrong with me.”

A doctor was double-checking Akihito’s vitals and heart rate. They took him to have a full body checkup to make sure he was stable and could go back to testing. Everybody was led outside of the infirmary so that Akihito could get his testing done quickly.

While Momoki was waiting for Akihito, the Chief walked by to ask about his condition.

“Momoki-san, how did you think of the testing?”

Momoki looked back at the Chief and let out a sigh. He was worried about Akihito all this time, but it could have all been for nothing. The Chief probably knew more than he did about his decision.

“It went fine, but Narihisago-san died fairly quickly. What kind of testing well is this, Chief Hayaseura?

The Chief put his hand on his beard before responding.

“Momoki-san, these testing wells were made from part of an older system, so they were already there before the Mizuhanome got updated to its current state. Fear not, these are just the wells of forgotten criminals. There is nothing to worry about except for testing purposes.”

Momoki put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the building wall corridor. The noise inside the infirmary seemed to indicate that Akihito’s testing was almost over. He would come out soon.

“Momoki! I’m back. The doctors said that I’m stable now and there’s nothing wrong with me,” Akihito said as he came out of the door. He felt a bit shaken up himself as he saw Momoki next to the Chief.

“Narihisago-san, did the first testing well go well? Seems like you experienced your first death. How was it?”

Akihito nervously smiled. He didn’t want to explain too much about what had happened.

“It felt…different. But it’s okay. I can handle it. This well was extremely dangerous…”

“This was just your first well, Narihisago-san. Are you brave enough to go into more of them?”

Akihito hesitantly nodded. The Chief left Momoki and Akihito alone as he walked out of the way back towards his office. After the Chief was gone, Momoki quickly grabbed Akihito’s hand and took him into a quieter hallway down a building corridor.

“Are you seriously fine with doing this, Narihisago? This isn’t a game. I don’t want you to get mentally damaged by this machine. We just barely started testing.”

Akihito felt overwhelmed by Momoki’s constant worrying, but he knew he had to say something to let him off his track and let him make his own decision for once.

“I’ll be fine, okay? I accepted this position and the Chief trusted me with it,” Akihito said, removing his hands from Momoki’s grasp, “I know that it’s hard for you to see me like this, but I want to make my own choices too.”

Momoki let out a sigh but accepted Akihito’s response. He just wanted the best for his friend but didn’t want this machine to wreak havoc on Akihito’s mind. After all, the Mizuhanome machine lets the pilot dive into somebody’s subconscious, with extremely dangerous risks involved.

“There could be more deaths like this, Momoki,” Akihito muttered, trying to sound confident, “There’s got to be a first time for everything.”

“You’re right, Narihisago. But at least tell me when something’s wrong, please.”

And the two men chuckled a bit before walking back to meet up with the others. There was still more testing to do before Akihito could get the hang of being a Mizuhanome Pilot.

After a month of testing, Akihito had managed to get the hang of diving into wells and not collapsing from dying inside them. Momoki on the other hand, kept observing Kaeru with his suspicions of it being Kiki. But he lacked the proof and evidence to support his theory. For now, he would have to focus on Akihito’s testing and make sure everything went well.

One day, the Kura staff had gotten word about getting an official well for testing. While everybody was trying to set up everything and make sure that the procedure was in order, Wakashika had some confusion over some information he had discovered while trying to clean some of the dirtier rooms inside the building.

“What is it, Wakashika-san?” Habutae said, “What are you confused about?”

“Well, um…these documents seem strange. Some of the information mentioned well storms, well inside a well, and dogma. I have never heard of them.”

From a distance, Akihito and Momoki were getting ready to go to the cockpit room. Based on Wakashika’s statement, he found some hidden documents in some parts of the rooms and were curious about what was inside them.

“Wakashika-san, let me look at them after the testing,” Momoki said, “That could help us understand the Mizuhanome system much better.”

“Sure thing, Momoki-san,” Wakashika replied, while double-checking his settings for the observation decks, “Thought it would be more interesting to see Narihisago-san’s response to it too. He _is_ the Pilot after all. Must be nice being chosen.”

Momoki clenched his fists in frustration by Wakashika’s remark but stopped himself. They had just joined the main Kura staff along with everyone else, and most people were new to the technology as they were. After all, it would be bad to create tensions now, especially in a new environment.

“Are you ready to go, Narihisago?”

Akihito looked back at Momoki and nodded. Everything was prepared and ready for the Mizuhanome dive. Momoki walked with Akihito towards the cockpit room before returning to the Wellside Room, where the rest of the main Kura staff were.

Above them, Matsuoka and Hondomachi were observing from the Wellside Room’s 2nd floor as they had done since the first testing.

“Matsuoka-san, you haven’t talked to Narihisago-san in ages,” Hondomachi said, looking over the window panels of the Kura staff on the bottom floor, “Ever since the field analysts joined Kura, you've only been talking to Momoki-san about Narihisago-san instead. Do you still hate him?”

“Hondomachi-san, you should stay out of this. I know you’re curious about my relationships with those two men, but it’s in your interest to not get involved.”

“Why? Aren’t you happy about giving Narihisago-san a chance? You did congratulate Momoki-san on his promotion but not his.”

“Forget about it. Do you want another scolding like last time?”

Hondomachi looked dumbfounded before regaining her composure. They looked back through the window panels where the main Kura staff were starting their operations.

“F-Fine. But I still think Narihisago-san is an interesting fellow.”

Meanwhile, inside the Wellside Room, Momoki was discussing with Akihito through another speaker again. This time, the new well would be presented from a more recent serial killer that got caught months ago. But it was still be a testing well, so it could still provide them clues on the serial killer’s psyche and his motives.

“Everybody ready?” Momoki said.

All the Kura main staff gave him a nod. They were ready for the well.

“INJECTING SAKAIDO.”

.

..

…

….

Sakaido opened his eyes inside a new environment. The well seemed eerie and silent, with gooey and monstrous shapes surrounding him. Looking around him, he spotted a figure lying on the ground near him. Slowly getting closer to her, he suddenly remembered himself and his name.

“My name is Sakaido and I’m here to solve the mystery of this girl, Kaeru-chan’s death…”

_Another sensation of déjà vu…what is this feeling?_

But before he could closely examine her, he saw some creatures staring at him from a distance. They had weird distorted faces as if they looked vaguely human. Sakaido felt a sense of fear and horror from them, but he had to look over Kaeru first.

But if they came over to attack him, he would have to carry Kaeru, princess style, out of the way, and find a safer location inside the well.

He slowly turned Kaeru around to see her face. There was no face. Just empty bones and meat left off from the face. It was as if a meaty skull was staring right back at him.

Someone or something had peeled off her face, leading to her death.

Suddenly, he heard the ground tremble. Something was moving. And moving fast.

Looking up, he saw a herd of the monstrous faced creatures heading towards him. It looked like they were going kill him with a stampede. The loud noise of the creatures coming after him was still far away, but they were approaching him fast.

“What’s going on? I need to get to a safe place on higher ground,” Sakaido said under his breath, “I can’t just leave Kaeru-chan here either.”

He slowly picked up her faceless body and looked around for a nearby structure to hide in. There were towers of purplish goo all over the place. Up above him, there was a small opening that he could go to.

It was now or never. The stampede could reach him at any time.

After Sakaido took a couple of breaths, he started to climb towards the cave opening. The human-shaped creatures watched him as he went up towards the purple towers, which had steps that could lead up to safety. Carrying Kaeru on his back made the task harder, but he continued persisting.

“I think I made it up in time,” Sakaido muttered as he heaved Kaeru up at the same time, “I wonder why those things suddenly wanted to attack me…”

Sakaido looked below him, with the stampede rushing through. The loud noises that the creatures produced made the ground tremble again, so he held on to Kaeru for safety as he looked outside from the cave opening.

Momoki looked back at the 3-D virtual well model. Sakaido had suddenly disappeared from their monitors, so they had to search for him. But the purplish human-faced creatures inside the well were distorting their view.

“Momoki-san, seems like the environment that Sakaido is in looks like a distorted room that got clogged with purple goo,” Shiratake said, “There are also many holes all over the well, so it’s possible that he could have hidden in one of them.”

“Good information, Shiratake-san. Is there any information on those vaguely human-shaped creatures inside the well?”

“I got it, Momoki-san,” Habutae answered, “After collecting information on their facial expressions, they seem to look like victims from a particular case.”

“What case was it, Habutae-san?”

“Sonoda Hitoshi, but he was also called the Face Lifter before his capture.”

Momoki suddenly felt dread. It was a case that had immediately stopped its investigations after the Face Lifter was captured from the seaside warehouses a couple of months back. There was always something suspicious about the case, but they were forced out of it despite saving the last potential victim, Muku Narihisago, from getting killed.

“Something doesn’t seem right about this well.”

He looked closely at the stampede from the monitors. The way they moved seemed almost mechanical as if they were being led by something.

Or someone.

Sakaido looked out from the cave opening that he was in, to make sure that the stampede had ended. After breathing a sigh of relief, he looked around the cave opening that he had hidden in. The cave seemed a bit sticky and gross due to the purplish ting and goo surrounding him.

He would have to get out of the cave eventually. He still had to investigate the environment.

Looking back at Kaeru, who was inside the cave with him, Sakaido didn’t know where he should put her. Maybe it was best to leave here so that no strange creatures could come inside easily and mess with her body.

“I’m sorry that I’ll have to leave you here, Kaeru-chan,” Sakaido said softly, “But I have to know what’s going on with this place.”

Holding her hand gently one more time, he put Kaeru near the edge of the cave opening. Her faceless body stared meekly in the dark, lonely, and quiet. Sakaido stuck his head from the cave opening to see what was going on outside.

The well seemed eerie and silent now, with only a breeze coming from one direction of the purple-tinted gooey environment. Sakaido looked around and spotted something hopping around the purple towers inside the well.

“What is that? Is it a person?”

But the way it moved seemed creepy. It moved more like a scarecrow than a human being. This well truly was strange and horrifying. Its limbs moved upward and downward, like a horizontal hop as it jumped across each tower.

It looked like it was approaching Sakaido.

“Momoki-san! There is a strange figure spotted inside the well!” Wakashika cried out from the corner, “It doesn’t look like a human that you typically see from the other wells we had before.”

“Bring it up, Wakashika-san. There is really something strange about this well.”

Momoki went to check the monitors that Wakashika had put up for the main Kura staff to look at. From a close-up monitor, they saw what looked like a horrifying scarecrow, but wasn’t one.

The gentleman looked like it was wearing early 19th-century attire, with a top hat and a very crimson-colored coat. He wore a collarless white shirt along with a large black bowtie in front of his suit. His white trousers and brown boots shone from a distance as he continued hopping from tower to tower. The man was also carrying a cane as he balanced himself to keep from falling off the towers inside the well.

Momoki immediately remembered the blurred footage from the Face Lifter case.

He looked vaguely familiar for a reason.

“Eject Narihisago! This could be dangerous! Something is fishy here,” Momoki cried out, unsure of how Akihito would react.

But before Momoki could eject him, Togo quickly held his hands and told him to calm down. The other Kura staff were still observing the well, and it seemed like Sakaido was safe for now. They could always eject him if things turned sour, but they needed to see how Sakaido would react to the strange figure inside the well.

“Not now, Momoki-san. Sakaido barely started the well and he isn’t in harm’s way right now,” Togo muttered, “We need to observe more to see who this strange figure is. It could be just part of the Mizuhanome system as well.”

Momoki sighed and scratched his head. Togo could be right. But they had never seen it before in the past wells that Akihito was tested in. This could be a new discovery for Kura in working with the Mizuhanome machine.

“F-Fine. But I’ll rush towards the cockpit room if Sakaido dies inside the well again…”

And so, the Kura main staff continued watching from the monitors the activity of the strange top hat gentleman inside the well.

Sakaido looked around and spotted nothing close that was endangering him. He was curious about the hopping scarecrow looking figure that was coming towards him, so he decided to check it out for himself on who this mysterious person was. The human-shaped creatures surrounding the well had started popping all over the towers that the figure was jumping from.

“Maybe I should try talking to that gentleman. Kaeru-chan, please remain safe here.”

After making sure that Kaeru looked comfortable inside the cave, he double-checked his surroundings again to make sure that the coast was clear before jumping off from the cave opening. He then landed on one of the purple towers nearby as his sneakers hit the surface.

“There we go. Let’s see what’s going on,” Sakaido said as he used his hands to squint at the incoming figure, “Maybe he has answers to this place.”

The figure hopped closer and closer towards him as he stood on one of the towers surrounding the well. Sakaido saw a glimpse of a top hat and a cane that it was carrying from the distance. But he couldn’t see its face due to the top hat covering it.

“Hello! My name is Sakaido. I would like to ask you a few que- “

But before Sakaido could respond, he felt an intense pain hitting his stomach. The gentleman had whacked him with his cane as if taunting him for a fight. He felt dizzy for a few moments before regaining his posture. He looked down from one of the towers. He could have easily fallen to his death if he had lost his balance.

“What was that for? I just wanted to ask who you were!”

The figure remained silent towards Sakaido. Holding onto its cane, it hopped all over the nearby towers near Sakaido. It was as if it was ignoring him to go towards somewhere else.

The cave opening.

That was where Kaeru’s body was being held.

“Hey! Don’t go in there! Kaeru-chan is inside the cave…unless you want _her_?! I can’t let you do that!”

Sakaido quickly positioned himself to climb back up to the cave opening, but the hopping gentleman was too fast. With no time to lose, he decided to hop towards each tower as well, based on the figure’s hopping patterns. Miraculously, copying the gentleman’s method of moving between the towers using hopping had made him faster in jumping between towers to get back to the cave opening.

The hopping man was about to reach towards grabbing Kaeru when Sakaido jumped on him, grabbing his legs to pull him off the cave opening.

“What are you going to do to her? What do you want?”

The two then fell inside the cave opening, with Kaeru’s body unfazed by the conflict between them. They began to fight each other inside the cave.

“Looks like Sakaido is facing the hopping gentleman inside the cave now,” Togo said, “He seemed to be targeting Kaeru for some reason. Should we change the monitor towards the cave opening now?”

“Do it, Togo-san. Let’s see if Sakaido can see its face. We can’t see it from our side so far due to the top hat obscuring everything.”

After switching up the monitors, the Kura main staff were able to position themselves to observe the fight that was going on between Sakaido and the gentleman. Momoki was getting ready to eject Sakaido as soon as possible if he got killed by that thing.

Sakaido continued wrestling with the gentleman. The cane had kept smacking him to the gooey cave ground, getting pieces of purple goo all over his clothes. The man had tried to grab Kaeru a few times before he kept jumping at him to prevent him from getting her.

“Who are you? Why do you want Kaeru-chan so badly?!”

The gentleman paused for a moment as Sakaido tried to grab his leg again, but this time was pinned down by his legs and arms. He then started to beat Sakaido with his cane, which bloodied his face. Sakaido felt himself getting dizzy from the constant beatings, as the cane man believed that he had won the fight.

The gentleman then started to approach Kaeru’s body, while Sakaido was on the cave floor, beaten up and bruised from the fight. Through his bruised eyes, he saw the cane man approaching Kaeru again.

“N-No…Not like this…There has to be a way to get that man out of this cave…”

Sakaido continued lying on the ground while the gentleman started to take Kaeru’s body with him and started to walk out towards the cave opening. He thought long and hard on what he should do to at least get Kaeru out of the man’s grasp.

Then he had an idea. It was risky but it was better than nothing.

Sakaido crawled for a bit before jumping on the gentleman again. It caused him to let go of Kaeru as she fell on the cave ground, lifeless like a doll. Sakaido then grabbed the man’s cane and tried to trip him over towards the cave opening’s edge, where many purple towers and human-faced creatures looked above to stare at them.

“Take this, cane man! I’ll take you with me if I have to!”

The gentleman then tried to prevent Sakaido from holding onto his cane and poke him of his grasp, but he held on. They were near the cave opening edge, so it could be a dangerous fall below them. Sakaido held on, so the cane man then started to stomp his hands with his feet, trying to cause him pain so that he would let go.

“Smart, aren’t you? But I won’t let go unless you get out of the cave where Kaeru-chan is.”

Sakaido looked up and tried to see the man’s face. It seemed like the top hat he was wearing was obscuring his facial features. It would be worth a try to get his hat off as well. It would be nice to know who this man was and why he was aiming for Kaeru in this strange place.

After avoiding the gentleman’s cane attacks, Sakaido then jumped a bit to grab one of his legs, sending them both falling downwards. Sakaido looked up to see Kaeru still relatively safe inside the cave before wrestling with the cane man as the two of them fell.

_This is my only chance. I must see what this man looks like…_

And in full force, Sakaido took off the man’s top hat.

SPLAT.

….

…

..

.

“Sakaido has died,” Togo said as she checked the monitors, “Should we go- “

But before Togo could finish her sentence, Momoki had already rushed outside the Wellside Room towards the cockpit room. The rest of the Kura main staff seemed a bit quiet from his actions.

He did seem worried about Akihito ever since the two of them started their jobs at Kura.

Momoki rushed towards the cockpit room. He burst open the door to find Akihito sulking in the cockpit seat, deep in thought. It seemed like he was also sweating as if recovering from the fall from his death inside the well.

“Narihisago! Are you okay?” Momoki said as he came towards the cockpit seat, “Do you need anything?”

But Akihito quickly flicked his hand away from Momoki. He looked down on the cockpit room floor before answering back.

“Momoki, was this the Face Lifter’s id well?”

“…”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Momoki. No wonder everything seemed vaguely familiar in there…”

“Narihisago, I can explain. We weren’t told whose well it was by the Chief.”

“What?!”

“I’m sorry about that, Narihisago. There was something fishy about this well after all.”

After a moment of silence, Akihito let out a sigh before getting off the cockpit seat. He scratched his head in dismay. Momoki was shaking his head on the things that had happened inside the well that day. Later, he got the documents that Wakashika had found to investigate for later.

The Chief wasn’t telling them anything. They would have to figure things out on their own.

Later that week, Momoki set up a group meeting for the main Kura staff and the field analysts. They were going to decide on naming the gentleman and whether he was part of the Mizuhanome feature or not. Everyone was near a close meeting room that was on the same floor as the Wellside Room.

“Is everybody here?” Momoki asked from the front row. He was trying to make sure most of the Kura staff and field analysts were here for their meeting.

“Are we allowed to eat, Momoki-san?” Wakashika asked from the corner of a table, “It coincides with our break time.”

“Wakashika-san, is all you think about is food?” Habutae muttered back, with his head on the table, “We just dealt with some crazy thing inside the Mizuhanome id well…”

“No need to worry too much, guys,” Wakashika said, “Momoki-san will help us investigate this anomaly. We just need to name the thing first.”

“He is right,” Shiratake said, tilting his glasses, “Maybe Narihisago-san could help describe this strange man inside the well as well. Momoki-san and Narihisago-san seem like close friends.”

Meanwhile, Matsuoka and Hondomachi were sitting near the front of the meeting room, where Momoki and Akihito stood nearby. Togo was by the corner double-checking everything. She went over to ask Momoki something.

“Momoki-san, are you okay with Kokufu-san joining the meeting?”

“Well, isn’t Kokufu-san your assistant helper? It would probably be a good chance for him to see the other members of Kura around here anyway…”

“Alright, Momoki-san. I’ll be right back.”

Togo then left the room to get Kokufu so that their meeting could start. A couple of minutes later, she brought him into the room. He had a typical bowl-shaped haircut and seemed a bit passive when he came in with Togo. He was carrying some documents and papers for their meeting as well.

“Time to start the meeting.”

Momoki cleared up his throat while Akihito was leaning next to the wall, with his arms crossed. He seemed a bit dozy and tired from the hurdle inside the well a few days ago. Momoki began to put up some images on the presentation screen.

“It appears we found something similar in our hands,” Momoki said, “The man looks like someone from the blurred-out footage of another case.”

On the screen, he showed the footage from the Face Lifter case and the recent imagery of the gentleman from inside the well. Both wore relatively similar attire, except both their faces weren’t visible.

“I have taken some evidence from the Face Lifter case due to discovering that the official well that we were being tested on was his. It seems like the same man could be involved here.”

“Like the frog corpses, Momoki-san?” Matsuoka muttered, “I was with you in investigating the cram school building not long ago.”

“Yes, Matsuoka-san,” Momoki answered, “A part of the frog confusion is solved at least. Because Kaeru means frog, as well as being dead inside all the id wells so far. The Face Lifter case could be connected to the Mizuhanome.”

“What does the Face Lifter case have to do with naming the strange man, Momoki-san?” Wakashika said, raising his hand, “Would using the context clues help us in naming him?”

“Probably,” Habutae said, elbowing Wakashika a bit, “If we had no references beforehand, it would have made the naming for the gentleman have no meaning. Or more like lesser meaning.”

“And the gentleman had already appeared before being inside this well,” Shiratake said, “So we _do_ have some references. This sounds interesting.”

“The most prominent features of this man is his top hat and cane,” Momoki said aloud, pointing towards the images shown, “He dresses a bit old fashioned compared to our time though.”

“Maybe the guy just likes old European things,” Wakashika said, shaking his head, “Maybe a name like Jack the Ripper would fit him. He did attempt to kill Sakaido after all…”

“Wakashika-san,” Habutae muttered, looking back at him awkwardly, “You make sense yet don’t make sense.”

“Well, I’m trying to help to name him too,” Wakashika replied, “Why don’t you give your naming suggestion then?”

Meanwhile, in the corner, Hondomachi and Matsuoka were coming up with their own ways of naming the figure. There were many names for an unknown person, such as Jane and John Does in the US, as well as using common names such as Jack used in older European countries. Togo was also helping Kokufu with his notes and ideas on their current meeting and on how it could be related to the Face Lifter case, as well as his id well.

“What did you call him before, Momoki-san?” Kokufu asked while opening his notes, “Since it was related to a case, was there any name given before this?”

“Good question, Kokufu-san,” Momoki answered back, putting his hand to his chin, “Narihisago and I had called him the Sevens Man or Cane Man before. But I’m not sure that name should stick given our current situation.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with calling him Cane Man, Momoki,” Akihito said, trying to sound serious, “He _is_ carrying a cane after all. Although Sevens Man would sound too strange for others to get.”

Then Hondomachi raised her hand for her suggestion on the name.

“Momoki-san, how about a name based on alcohol?” she asked, “Sakaido’s name is based on alcohol as well, so I thought it could fit better.”

“Alcohol?” Momoki said, thinking back towards their naming suggestion, “Sakaido does have the word sake in it, which is a word for alcohol after all…”

“And Matsuoka-san here is great with alcohol!” Hondomachi exclaimed, trying to point towards Matsuoka on his naming suggestion, “He drinks all kinds of liquor from all over the world.”

“I think we’re going a bit off-topic here,” Togo muttered, “What does alcohol have to do with the Face Lifter case and the suspicious gentleman inside the well and footage?”

“It could help us with naming the man, Togo-san,” Wakashika said, “Many alcoholic brands do use generic-sounding names for their liquor.”

“Are you fine with this, Momoki-san?” Matsuoka asked, “Going from a case study to alcoholic naming probably sounds strange to you towards naming.”

Momoki let out a sigh. He looked back to find Akihito remaining silent during the rest of the conversations going on about names and the past Face Lifter case. Maybe he didn’t want to say anything right now. There were other pressing things to worry about after all.

Especially the Chief.

The Chief had allowed them to do their meeting after all. But there were more pressing matters at hand. One step at a time.

“Sure, Matsuoka-san,” Momoki said, nudging Akihito to keep him focused, “Alcoholic naming for this gentleman might be a good idea. Are you fine with it, Narihisago?”

“Just name him already, Momoki,” Akihito said back, a bit annoyed, “We don’t have all day.”

“Guess I’ll check my phone really quick,” Wakashika muttered, “There are plenty of names based on liquors.”

“It would be best if it could fit the description of the man, Wakashika-san,” Habutae said, pointing towards the images on the presentation screen, “That way, it could be easier to tell based on imagery alone.”

“An alcoholic brand based on liquors that have a similar uniform to the mysterious man,” Shiratake muttered back, “We can pinpoint the options from there.”

Meanwhile, Matsuoka was thinking of a liquor brand that looks the closest to the man from the well and Face Lifter case. Hondomachi was checking her phone for any similarities as well.

“The closest we have gotten is a brand called Johnnie Walker,” Hondomachi said, “His looks resembles the mysterious man the most.”

“But due to copyright, we would have to change the name to make it more palatable and easier to remember,” Matsuoka replied, looking at her phone, “Maybe something shortened to John Walker?”

“John Walker?” Hondomachi questioned, thinking to herself, “John is also a common name used for unknown persons that have not been identified.”

“That can work!” Wakashika exclaimed, “It also sounds a bit old fashioned and European too. He even has a cane like the one from the brand!”

“John Walker,” Momoki said, looking over the imagery and the name connotations, “It does fit his old-fashioned European style clothes that he is wearing, and the name is generic-sounding enough to be implied as unidentifiable. It could work.”

“So, the man should be called John Walker then?” Kokufu asked, raising his hand, “If everyone accepts the name, we just need to get the Chief’s approval to let it become official.”

“Does everyone here approve of this name?” Momoki asked.

Everyone nodded.

“So, the name for this mysterious person will be John Walker.”

After setting up his documents and papers to present to the Chief, Momoki noticed Akihito trying to sneak out of the meeting room. People were slowly leaving the room to prepare for a lunch break, while part of the Kura main staff was in the corner talking about various things. Akihito had been mostly quiet throughout the meeting, so Momoki didn’t know what happened over the past few days in between the Face Lifter well testing and the meeting.

Later that day, Momoki went to the Chief’s office to discuss the naming. He had also wanted to talk about the suspicious documents that Wakashika had found as well but was unsure if he should mention it yet.

“John Walker?” the Chief chuckled, looking over the documents that Momoki had sent, “That’s a clever name. If I had been him, I would have approved of this name.”

“Is the naming acceptable, Chief Hayaseura?” Momoki asked.

“Yes, I’ll allow it, Momoki-san. Good job.”

After filing up the paperwork, Momoki continued to stand in front of the Chief. There was an awkward silence.

“Is there anything else, Momoki-san?”

Momoki cleared his throat.

“Why didn’t you tell us whose well it was for the official testing, Chief Hayaseura?”

“Oh, you don’t like a surprise once in a while, Momoki-san? That’s too bad. Is there anything else you want to know?”

“Well…”

“Go on, I’m willing to lend an ear.”

“Chief Hayaseura, I was wondering about the dead girl inside the well. Why does she look like Kiki Asukai?”

“Asukai-san? Momoki-san, you must be mistaken. I’m sure there are plenty of girls that look similar. If there are any more questions, I’ll answer them for you in a couple of weeks.”

But before Momoki could answer, the Chief got up from his desk chair and patted him on the shoulder.

_Meet me on the second floor of the Wellside Room in a few weeks._

Akihito was talking with Wakashika and Hondomachi inside a break room while he waited for Momoki to come back from the Chief’s Office. They were asking Akihito about his experiences inside the wells and what they were like.

“Narihisago-san, how does it feel like to be inside the id wells? You said you don’t remember who you are inside them, so does that make you an amnesiac?” Wakashika asked as he was munching on a chocolate bar, “It feels weird going against an amnesiac detective once we do get a new case.”

“What is it like inside the cockpit room, Narihisago-san?” Hondomachi asked, “We were always shown images of it but never allowed into the room. Is it as bare as it looks?”

“But Momoki has seen it,” Akihito answered back, trying to sound informative without saying too much, “He always comes with me to the room to make sure I’m fine.”

“Isn’t he the Director?” Wakashika said, finishing his bar, “He probably has more power than all of us to just go into the cockpit room without needing permission.”

“Yeah, maybe you can show us the cockpit room sometime, Narihisago-san,” Hondomachi muttered, curious about what the other rooms inside the buildings looked like.

Akihito figured out the information from the other Kura main staff members. Togo had treated him relatively nicely, while the others seemed more distant towards him. Matsuoka had already ignored him most of the time in Kura so far and was only there during testing and other occasions with Hondomachi. Only Wakashika and Hondomachi directly interacted with him apart from Momoki.

After all, not everyone was allowed into the Mizuhanome cockpit room.

Yet the Chief had shown them one of the most important rooms of the Kura building at the very beginning of their tour.

After a while, Momoki walked into the break room. His paperwork from the official testing well had been sent in and their naming had been officially approved. Akihito looked up at Momoki and waved.

“Momoki, how did everything go?”

Momoki smiled back at Akihito and saw him talking with Wakashika and Hondomachi. They had kept him company and been nicer to him compared to the other members so far.

“We got the name approved, but he hasn’t clarified anything yet. We would have to wait to get more information later.”

He turned his back to face Wakashika and Hondomachi. He gestured to them that it was time to leave the Kura building. The work was done for tonight.

“Wakashika-san and Hondomachi-san, thank you for taking care of Narihisago. We will be walking home together again so please don’t mind us…”

He quickly grabbed Akihito by the arm and dragged him outside the break room. Wakashika and Hondomachi looked at them, a bit dumbfounded as they left the room.

“What was that for, Momoki?” Akihito muttered, questioning his motives, “I know that we were going to leave together already but you didn’t need to do that.”

But Momoki had another idea. He seemed a bit worried since he came back from the Chief’s Office.

“Narihisago, please go get your things and get ready to leave. I don’t think I should tell you anything inside the building. There are security cameras all over the place.”

After Akihito got his suitcase and everything organized again, the two of them left the building. He had waved goodbye to Hondomachi and Wakashika as well, who were also in the break room preparing to leave too. The other Kura members either were in different parts of the building, studying on some cases while the others had already left earlier due to the Chief giving everyone an early leave from the Face Lifter id well testing issue with the mysterious man.

Momoki dragged Akihito towards a ramen shop that wasn’t too close to the Kura building.

“It’s been a while since we had eaten together,” Momoki muttered under his breath, “It would also be easier to disguise our conversation as well.”

After they had ordered and received their ramen, they began talking about their suspicions of Kura and Chief Hayaseura.

“Narihisago, are you having nightmares again?”

Akihito stopped eating for a moment and looked back at him.

“What do you mean? Did you ask my wife about me again?”

Momoki scratched his head, trying to not sound intrusive.

“Well, I did ask, but there’s another reason. Asukai-san may be related to Kura.”

The two of them continued eating while they continued discussing possible connections between Kiki and Kura. Especially the dead girl inside the well.

“Since you were always inside the wells, Narihisago, have you recognized her face as Asukai-san or something different?”

Akihito closed his eyes. He'd had extreme feelings of déjà vu while he was Sakaido but didn’t know if it would be related to Momoki’s relation to Kiki. But it was better safe to tell it to him, otherwise, he would keep pestering him about his dreams again.

“I did have feelings of déjà vu while I was Sakaido but I’m not sure if that has anything to do with Asukai-san, Momoki.”

“What do you recall she looks like after you came back from the well?”

“I don’t know. It seems as if something is blocking my vision. I can’t seem to tell the difference between Kaeru-chan and Asukai-san as the same person.”

“Interesting. But it seems like we might have a lead-in for Asukai-san compared to the last couple months now. Guess it is possible that fate had led us here to Kura.”

“Fate, huh.”

_Is fate related to his constant dreams and nightmares as well?_

_But they had just started working at Kura for a few months. Is he cursed after all?_

Akihito and Momoki then quickly finished their ramen and left the shop. They walked outside into the night sky, where many crowds of people were still walking all over. They went towards a nearby resting area near a few vending machines to discuss the rest of their plan.

“Narihisago, I’m also looking into the past records of possible candidates before you. I don’t think the Chief is telling you everything and I’m still wary about the cockpit. Do you want to help me with this investigation?”

Akihito sighed. Ever since Momoki got into Kura, he had been suspicious of the Chief for a few months already. Maybe it was better to go along with his plans and hopefully everything would work out.

“We’ll see, Momoki. I know that you care about my wellbeing being inside the cockpit, but I have come out unscathed and been fine. I kind of don’t want more misfortune to fall upon us again, like in Fukui.”

“I guess you have been wary about me obsessing over Asukai-san since the failed investigation a few months back? I understand. You probably don’t need to get involved right now…”

“Momoki, I just don’t want to get my family involved again. I don’t want any more serial killers to exist. I’ll still help you in your investigation, I just want to protect my family. I don’t want any more bad things to happen to them.”

After a moment of silence, they walked home together. One was suspicious of Kura and suspected a possible connection to Kiki while the other just wanted a normal life with his family, with no more serial killers.

But things had only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 is here! One more Part left to this Special before we get another Serial Killer case again! :0  
> I will also be planning and working on one-shots and other ID: Invaded multi-chap short stories (that are like movie/OVA length) for future releases.  
> This time I tried using Grammarly to help edit the chapter. First time for everything I guess.  
> Thank you for reading and comments are greatly appreciated! :D  
> Beta and Edited by Ayden


	11. The Truth of the Mizuhanome Pilot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 3 OF THE MIZUHANOME INTRODUCTION SPECIAL (PART 1, PART 2, PART 3)
> 
> PART 3 OF 3

File 11: The Truth of the Mizuhanome Pilot

_Water._

_I felt myself under a pool of water again. The water was murky and red, like blood. The girl was still standing over me as I was underneath her. But this time it was different._

_"Gah!”_

_I got pulled out of the water by some force, coughing the liquid out of my lungs and throat. I looked up at her, but this time, I could see her face. It was clearly Kaeru-chan. She was standing on top of the water, floating like a ghost, with her eerie dead green eyes staring back at me._

_"Sakaido. It has been a while…”_

_Sakaido? But I’m Akihito Narihisago. That can’t be…_

_I looked at myself from the water’s reflection. I was indeed dressed as Sakaido, with his iconic yellow scarf and a long trench coat looking back. I was my detective persona inside this place, yet I was still myself._

_"Are you the one that keeps coming into my dreams?”_

_But before she could answer, another figure came into view. It was someone with a top hat and a cane. His face was blurred out just as Kaeru-chan’s previously was._

_Sevens Man. Cane Man. And the more recent name… John Walker._

_He approached Kaeru-chan and held a knife to her throat. She screeched in terror and I was too shocked to move. I wanted to save her from that man but couldn’t._

_I looked around me for anything, but there was nothing inside this place. All I saw were walls everywhere, as if we were trapped underneath a well. Above me, I saw a small light coming through. It was the only source of light that gave me any sort of view._

_We were frogs inside a well._

_More shadowy figures started appearing from underneath the water, just like I did. They were slowly approaching Kaeru-chan as well and were helping John Walker with killing her, right in front of me._

_A swarm of butterflies came out of Kaeru-chan, engulfing the well._

_I tried to run but couldn’t. I tried to scream but couldn’t. I could no longer speak._

_All I felt was fear and dread, unable to do anything._

“Aki-kun! Are you okay?”

Akihito opened his eyes from his nightmare. He saw himself on the bedroom floor, a few inches away from the bed. Ayako was looking back, worried about what had happened.

He had fallen off the bed during the night.

Akihito quickly got up from the floor and dusted off his shirt and pants that he was sleeping in. He looked back at Ayako and tried to remain positive and normal.

“I-I’m fine, Aya-chan. I wasn’t hurt or anything.”

“But you fell off the bed! Are you seriously fine?”

He scratched his head and then looked back at the clock that was on top of their dresser.

8:00.

It was time for work again.

“I’ll explain myself when I come back from work…”

Ayako watched as Akihito rushed to another room to get changed. Looking at herself, she seemed wary about his behavior lately. He had been quiet about his work, which was the usual prior to his police duties at Fukui, but this time it was different.

Was he hiding something from them?

“I wonder if Aki-kun is okay. I might need to ask Momoki-san if anything happened…”

Inside a dimly lit room, Momoki was pondering over the documents that Wakashika had found from some of the Kura rooms. Apart from the research papers on wells and the basic effects from using the machine, he couldn’t find out about any of the unwilling participants and the other Mizuhanome candidates.

“Dogma. A state where a pilot experiences self-awareness inside their own well.”

Momoki then flipped through a few more pages.

“Well storm. A state where the well forms wind currents around a pilot who remembers himself in his own well.”

Then, he turned towards another page.

“Well inside a well. A possibility of another well being formed inside a current well.”

As he was looking through the documents, Togo came into the room with two cups of hot coffee. She put one cup by his side as he was trying to brainstorm for any possibilities and nuances on the Mizuhanome machine. He already had a few circles under his eyes.

“Momoki-san, I think you should rest for a bit. I know that you’re worried about Narihisago-san, but your own health isn’t any better either.”

“Thanks for the coffee, Togo-san. What else are you here for?”

Togo felt a bit unappreciated. She came to his Tokyo home to check up on him and even gave him some refreshments and food during his research. But he seemed a bit too dazed to pay attention to her.

All he had talked about was Narihisago this Narihisago that.

_Guess he really is worried…_

She then picked up her own cup and took a sip. She looked over at Momoki as he did his research. If he was so worried about him, couldn't he just take him somewhere he likes so that he could let out his frustrations? Maybe he should also consider Narihisago’s own decisions.

“Momoki-san, do you know what Narihisago-san’s favorite place in Tokyo is?”

Momoki stopped for a moment. The question seemed to have suddenly sparked something in him.

“Well, it’s a long story…”

A couple years back, Akihito and Momoki had taken a trip to Tokyo after they went on break from the Fukui Police Department. Back then, they weren’t fully fledged homicide detectives, but were still in training as normal cops. They went on a trip to Tokyo Tower for a day or two, with Akihito bringing along his camera bag and other necessities.

“Are you sure about not taking your wife along? What about your kid?”

Akihito smiled nervously before responding to Momoki’s question.

“Muku is still too young and I don’t want to cause them too many problems right now. I’ll let Aya-chan rest with the child. I’ll bring them to visit Tokyo when we have more money to spare and when Muku is old enough to climb the tower…”

Momoki looked up to where Akihito was taking them. The red beacon tower was coming into view. It resembled a version of France’s Eiffel Tower, but with its own Japanese flair. It was striped with red and white lines, and there was a building underneath it. It was also known as the “Japan Radio Tower” due to the tower transmitting signals between many radio and television broadcasting systems all over Japan.

It was well known for its observation deck, in which Akihito wanted to go to check out the city landscape and take photos from above. After buying their tickets, they went up through the stairway, to Momoki’s dismay.

“Seriously? We could have taken the elevator, Narihisago!”

Momoki was heaving himself, climbing up the stairway. The stairway gave them a clear view of the city while they were climbing, so Akihito was taking photo shoots every hundred steps. It was a 600-step staircase, leading them to the Main Observatory up ahead.

“What’s the point of paying if we’re not going to have a clear view?” Akihito answered back, “We can always go down from the tower using the elevator anyway.”

“Isn’t that what the Main Observatory is for? To take photos and look at the city surroundings? We didn’t have to walk this long staircase…”

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there. There are people behind and ahead of us. Let’s just take our time, Momoki.”

After climbing up the stairway, Momoki rested on a bench while Akihito went around the corners of the Main Observatory, looking around for some scenery to capture. There were crowds forming in certain locations of the area, hoping for a great view. There were many people taking photos of each other and letting others take photos for them.

Akihito was tempted to help take photos for the couples, but Momoki stopped him.

“Why don’t you take the photos you need first, Narihisago? The sky is getting darker the longer you wait…”

“Good idea…”

After a couple hours at the Main Observatory, the two of them rested at a café that was in the lower floors of the tower. They each ordered a drink and a sandwich, while looking outside from their table.

Akihito was scrolling through his camera to check up on his photos, while Momoki watched. Sometimes, he would show him some of the photos that he took, or others in which other people had taken photos for them.

“Just wondering. Did you start taking photography to take better photos of your family?” Momoki asked, “You usually didn't take that many photos until now.”

“I guess so. With Muku now, I want to be able to capture and take memories for our family and something for her to keep as she grows older.”

“So, you’re going to bring them next time? I don’t need to necessarily come with you…”

Akihito chuckled a bit before he put away his camera. He looked outside from the tower windows before looking back at Momoki.

“It’s fine. Thanks for coming with me, Momoki. We still got a lot to explore in Tokyo...”

“Reminiscing the past?” Togo muttered, listening to Momoki talking about his time with Akihito at Tokyo Tower, “Maybe you should bring him there. It’s been ages hasn’t it?”

Momoki stopped for a moment. He had gone off track, talking about Narihisago again with Togo. It probably annoyed her by now.

“S-Sorry about that.”

Momoki checked the time.

It was getting late and he needed to sleep. They were going to work this morning. Togo was kind enough to stay this time, but she didn’t mind staying overnight just to keep him company.

“Guess you’ll probably try to investigate with Narihisago-san again? He hasn’t seem interested lately.”

“We’ll see. I can’t exactly bother him too much right now. The Mizuhanome must have taken a toll on him. I’m also wary about the Chief because he isn’t telling us anything. We’re on our own.”

Togo patted Momoki on the back. After putting away their cups, they went to sleep.

Later that day, Momoki was allowed to have another meeting for the Kura staff about the documents that Wakashika had found. The Chief seemed carefree about what had happened since the Face Lifter testing well incident, even telling Momoki about a possible prisoner that could be coming to Kura Prison soon.

As Akihito was about to leave the meeting room, Wakashika came forward to chat with him. Not too far from them, Habutae and Shiratake were looking at them while packing up their own documents.

“Narihisago-san, are you going to show me the cockpit room sometime?”

Akihito looked around for Momoki, but he seemed to have left already. Maybe it was fine to show them the room at least.

“Sure. But what about your other friends?”

Habutae gestured to Wakashika to just go, showing that they’d come by later.

Akihito led Wakashika towards the cockpit room, which was on the 5th floor. He felt unsure if he was allowed to do it, due to how not even most of the main Kura staff members were allowed into the room so far, apart from him and Momoki.

“Fine. Just this once. But if we end up bumping into Momoki, I probably can’t show it to you again…”

“That’s okay, Narihisago-san. I’ll just…disappear if it comes to that.”

They walked through the bare hallways of the 5th floor again. Akihito noticed the locked door again as they went past it.

_I wonder if the Chief would show us what is inside that room someday._

As they got closer to the cockpit room, they saw two people coming towards them from the other end.

It was Momoki and Togo, who seemed to have appeared from the other end. It looked like they had papers full of documents again and were managing arrangements for someone.

“Wakashika-san, just keep your cool,” Akihito whispered, “Don’t get me in trouble…”

“Sure thing, Narihisago-san. I wonder what they were there for. It looked like they just came back from Kura Prison.”

Momoki quickly spotted Akihito with Wakashika, then walked towards them. Togo was edging him on to try to take him to Tokyo Tower again sometime as well as persuade him on the investigation, so that he had another companion apart from her.

“What are you doing here? Why is Wakashika-san with you?”

_Sorry, Wakashika-san. Guess not today._

“Well…uh…”

“I’m just here following Narihisago-san! Please don’t mind me…”

Akihito turned around to find Wakashika slowly walking away before dashing off to the opposite direction. It left the three of them dumbfounded by his reaction. Momoki tried to stop the awkward silence with a cough.

“Glad that we meet again, Narihisago-san, Momoki-san wants to talk to you about something,” Togo said, pushing Momoki to his side, “Just persuade him already. Isn’t he your best friend?”

“Momoki, are you okay? Did I do something wrong again?”

“…Not really. Do you remember Tokyo Tower? I don’t know if you have visited it already when you moved to Tokyo for work here. It would be nice to visit that place again if you want.”

_Tokyo Tower. It’s been a while since I been there._

“Sure, that’s fine. Although that seemed a bit sudden,” Akihito said, scratching his head as he looked over the documents they were holding, “What were you two doing back there at Kura Prison?”

“Narihisago-san. Sonoda Hitoshi is coming to Kura Prison. You may have known him as the Face Lifter,” Togo answered, “It could help us with what happened inside his well and give us insight on his psyche.”

“The Face Lifter, huh.”

“Narihisago, I still need your help with the Face Lifter investigation after all. It could be related to John Walker and what happened inside the well. There’s still the mysterious documents that I need to go over but seems like the Chief has accepted them very easily. Things are not adding up.”

Akihito put his hand to his chin, creating a thinking pose.

“Even Asukai-san’s investigation too?”

“…Probably.”

Akihito patted Momoki on his shoulder again and hugged him. Togo seemed relieved, hoping that they both reconciled. Maybe they could work out the investigation after all.

But there were too many holes from the documents, no information on the past candidates and what happened to them still remained a mystery. The Chief could be hiding something.

A few days later, Akihito arrived at Momoki’s Tokyo home, which looked like a fancy condo. He was amazed at the size of his apartment unit, which was bigger and more spacious than his. Momoki really did come from a wealthy family.

“I really shouldn’t be surprised by now,” Akihito said, shaking his head, “Let me see what Momoki is up to.”

As he came into the room, he took off his shoes and was greeted by Togo. She had been to Momoki’s condo many times and had made herself at home, trying to help Momoki with his work and investigation sometimes.

“Welcome, Narihisago-san. Let’s start the investigation with Momoki-san soon.”

Momoki was waiting for them in his living room, preparing some tea and refreshments for his guests. He was arranging the documents to the side, with some photographs from the Face Lifter case as well as screen captures of those from inside his well.

“Let’s begin. Are you two okay with this?”

Akihito and Togo nodded at his request.

“Why does John Walker look just like the man from the cram school video footage? It’s possible that the Face Lifter had become acquainted with this mysterious man. Normally, you won’t have something so ingrained into your mind if you haven’t met them.”

“It’s possible that the man is dressed like that to hide his identity,” Togo said, while drinking some tea, “But it seems like he dressed himself to the point of being known. It sounds a bit counterproductive.”

“It sounds like someone who _wants_ to be known,” Akihito replied, “He doesn’t want to be discovered but he wants to have some sort of persona to show to the world.”

“That could be a good assumption on John Walker’s personality, Narihisago,” Momoki muttered back, “We don’t know anything about him apart from showing up in the footage and his appearance inside the well.”

“But he targeted my family, Momoki,” Akihito said, questioning the man on the photos that Momoki had displayed in front of them, “I don’t know what he wants from me. It’s likely that he would show up again.”

“Wasn’t it originally based off of bad luck, Narihisago-san?” Togo asked, “Back in Fukui, you were rumored to have been cursed or something. I don’t know if that sounds any better…”

Akihito didn’t say anything on that matter. Momoki then tried to break the silence with another topic based on his research.

“Well, another thing. I have found more information about the Mizuhanome machine since the Chief let me find more documents. It’s strange that he won’t directly tell us what these things are, not even our job orientation told us anything about this…”

“What do you mean? Like the various terms used for different well environments?” Akihito asked, “Wasn't our latest meeting just talking about those documents though? It did give us more insight on how the wells work…”

Momoki shook his head at Akihito’s response. This situation was more serious than he had let out.

“Narihisago, we don’t know what happened to the past candidates. Did you remember about the Tokyo meeting we had prior to going to Kura? They mentioned about having multiple candidates, but we never saw them. You were just chosen so quickly once we got here.”

“But won’t there be some records of their names or anything? They can’t possibly remove everything…”

But Momoki shook his head in dismay. He hasn't been able to find anything. The records seemed to have been wiped by somebody, with only the data to show for.

“That’s strange. Normally you would have the participant’s names somewhere while doing your data studies…unless they were unwilling,” Togo said, “There’s so many strange things about Kura.”

“It is a newly created sector after all,” Momoki muttered back, “But it’s unbelievable that they would have records before their creation. So, something must have been here before Kura.”

“Like a possible prototype?” Akihito asked, “Wonder if there are more Mizuhanome cockpits than the one we’ve been shown. There could be older models of the machine too.”

“That could explain the testing wells,” Momoki said, eating a rice cracker, “The Chief did say they were from forgotten criminals. So, it is likely that they were the unwilling participants in these research documents.”

Akihito felt wary. If there were criminals involved in these past experiments, what did that make him? The way Momoki had discussed the suspicious documents with them seemed to relate to him being chosen as the Mizuhanome Pilot.

“Narihisago-san, Momoki-san is worried about your well-being with the cockpit,” Togo said while facing Akihito, “He just doesn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Momoki looked back at Akihito before turning away. He still hadn’t mentioned much about a Tokyo Tower trip yet, but they had to get through these clues first…there were way too many other things to worry about.

“There was also another thing I found,” Momoki muttered as he shuffled more paper towards them, “The way the Mizuhanome works might also be related to dreams. Asukai-san had mentioned to me many times about her dreams. I wonder if it is related…”

_Dreams? Is Momoki going to ask me about dreams again?!_

Akihito really didn’t want to talk about them. Although they had become more frequent and nightmarish, he had managed to control them and not let them affect his work while diving inside the Mizuhanome for testing and other purposes.

He didn’t want to seem weak in front of him.

“Narihisago, are you doing okay? Are you sleeping well?” Momoki asked, a bit concerned.

Akihito immediately felt embarrassed. He turned away as he scratched his head.

“I-I’m fine, really. You don’t need to ask too much. Aya-chan had been taking care of me.”

Momoki let out a sigh of relief, but he remained stern on his discussion about dreams. Meanwhile, Togo was offering Akihito some more tea and crackers from the table.

“Okay. One important question. Did your dreams start with the Challenger?”

_The Challenger. That brute who almost killed Muku. But that day had always felt uneasy…as if I were scared into it. The feelings of a ghost girl with her face staring into my soul with my family lying dead…._

“Narihisago?” Momoki asked again.

Akihito quickly snapped out of his daze. Momoki was asking about the Challenger again. But hadn't he been dead for at least two years now? Did this have something to do with the Mizuhanome?

“Sorry. I’m not sure,” Akihito muttered back, shaking his head, “It’s been two years since that case. My memory has been hazy lately.”

Momoki looked back at Akihito before sighing again. Guess he shouldn't pester his friend too much.

“Fine, I’ll accept that, Narihisago,” Momoki said, putting his hand to his chin, “But I do remember you mentioning about seeing a ghost girl while you were staying at my place during that time, which led to us going to visit Asukai-san. Then, with the Face Lifter case, you said the same thing.”

“Wait! Wasn’t that because I didn’t know who she was back then? That’s why I would have told you!”

Momoki looked back at Akihito sternly, as if he had gotten him to say something he was trying to hide.

“So, you do remember. Do you know who the girl is inside your dreams, now?”

_Well played, Momoki. Well played. You got me to say what you were truly asking for._

“She looks like Kaeru-chan. Is that enough of an answer?”

“Do you know the difference between Kaeru-chan and Asukai-san?”

_Not this question again. Momoki please._

Akihito didn’t say anything, leading to another awkward silence between them. After a few minutes, Togo patted Momoki to say that it was probably enough questioning for Akihito for today. It was best not to pester him too much about his dreams.

“Sorry about that, Narihisago,” Momoki said, trying to apologize as he looked away, “I asked too many questions again.”

“No worries, Momoki,” Akihito replied, “Maybe we should change the topic…”

“So, about the man who is coming to Kura Prison, he could be vital in helping us to understand who this man is,” Togo said, looking at Akihito and Momoki.

“The Face Lifter?” Momoki muttered back, looking at some papers again, “We shall see. I’m not sure if he would want to answer our questions.”

After a few more hours of discussion, the meeting was over. Momoki was preparing some documents in the corner, while Akihito and Togo were preparing to leave. Curious about what Momoki was planning, Akihito went over to check.

“Are you preparing papers for the Chief again?”

Momoki looked back at him and smiled. He continued to organize the paperwork.

“Maybe. I still have many questions to ask him, and about your safety inside the Mizuhanome cockpit. Maybe after the Face Lifter interrogation, I’ll have a nice talk with him about you.”

“Including the past candidates?”

“We’ll see about that, Narihisago. I’m not sure what to expect from him. The Chief seems really eccentric.”

After Akihito and Togo left for the day, Momoki pondered on the table, with his desk full of paperwork and documents. Closing his eyes, he reflected on the Chief’s offer from a few weeks ago:

_Chief Hayaseura, I’ll accept your invitation. What are you hiding from us?_

The next day, the serial killer Sonoda Hitoshi was brought into Kura. Also known as the Face Lifter, he was relocated into one of the prison cells of the Kura Prison. Later, he would be moved again to prepare for his interrogation.

He had been inside a normal prison before being moved, so he had a whole assembly line of workers to take him to Kura safely, and without any trouble.

“What a _warm_ welcome, I haven’t been greeted by so many people in a while…”

The Face Lifter’s face had grown rough over the past few months, with his hair having grown since his capture. He had grown a small beard during that time, with a small gash wound from his forehead due to Akihito bashing his head in last time.

Meanwhile, the main Kura staff were making preparations for the Face Lifter. He was allowed to bring in a few personal belongings for his cell, such as a few masks and other items that wouldn’t cause him any harm. The Face Lifter would be interrogated after he got some rest in his jail cell first.

Akihito was organizing some things inside the Wellside Room when he overheard Wakashika talking with Habutae close by. Togo had assigned them some menial tasks to complete along with him so that they could be ready for another well later. Momoki had already gone to the interrogation room on the 4th floor to talk with the Face Lifter.

It’s possible that they would be getting an official new case soon.

“Why are they interrogating the Face Lifter again?” Wakashika asked, “Did they find out any new information about him?”

“I believe it has to do with his id well and about John Walker,” Habutae answered back, “But based from what I have heard, it could help us pinpoint whether the man is part of the Mizuhanome or an anomaly.”

“Man, the Face Lifter’s well must be very important if it led to getting us having him inside Kura,” Wakashika said, shivering at the thought of a serial killer so close to them, “Didn’t expect that we’d get a prisoner inside Kura Prison so quickly. I wonder how long he will stay.”

“Who knows,” Habutae said, now looking at Akihito not too far from them, “Maybe _somebody_ here would know the true reason…”

He glared at Akihito more intensely, which made Akihito a bit uncomfortable and confused. It seemed like he had been annoyed at Wakashika constantly talking to him and had always had a stern air to him.

Habutae was somewhat like a similar personality to Momoki.

“Come on, Habutae-san. No need to bully Narihisago-san,” Wakashika muttered, shaking Habutae a bit, “He is nicer than he looks, and he is also a detective. Weren’t you also wary of Shiratake-san before you warmed up to him?”

“Don’t talk about that!”

Habutae’s face suddenly turned red and he looked away from Akihito immediately. Wakashika was waving to him, gesturing to him that everything was fine.

“Narihisago-san, you are always welcome,” Wakashika said, smiling back, “Don’t let the others judge you too much.”

After they worked for another hour or so, Hondomachi appeared by the Wellside Room, greeted them, and asked where the others went. She didn’t have Matsuoka with her this time.

“Do you know where Momoki-san is?” she asked, looking around, “He should be done with the interrogation by now.”

Akihito looked at the time. It had been at least three hours. They hadn’t heard about anything that had happened all this time.

“Good question, Hondomachi-san,” Wakashika answered back, “Why isn’t Matsuoka-san with you?”

“He went to the interrogation room to check up on Momoki-san just in case he is still there. It’s possible that the interrogation is going longer than expected. He was going to have other duties to do today but seems like the Face Lifter interrogation isn’t going too well.”

Maybe it was time to check up on the interrogation room.

The four of them walked together towards the interrogation room. They were surprised by the crowds of people coming towards the area. Wakashika and Hondomachi were in front leading the way while Akihito and Habutae were in the back, following them yet not looking at each other. As they got closer, they overheard some people coming back from the interrogation room.

“That man really is something. He managed to anger the Director while not giving any vital information…”

Akihito saw a bit of light coming from the room. There were getting closer and were seeing more people crowded around the place. Wakashika and Hondomachi went up ahead to check what was going on.

Suddenly, they heard a cackling voice.

“Is that all you got? I’m not as stupid as you think. I can sit here all day and not give you anything.”

They peeked to see what was going on. There was a crowd of people surrounding the Face Lifter, with some guards to the sides of the room. Momoki was near the front of the room, facing him. Matsuoka was by his side, trying to calm him down.

“Momoki-san, that’s enough,” Matsuoka said, patting on Momoki’s shoulder, “He is just baiting you at this point.”

“That’s true. We already went through more than five different interrogators,” Momoki muttered under his breath, “This man won’t budge.”

“Are you two done talking?” the Face Lifter said, grinning towards the two officers in front of him, “This is feeling more like entertainment with a crowd around me. I’m loving this.”

Akihito felt a nasty sense of familiarity from his voice.

_So, it really is the Face Lifter. Is he treating this like a game?_

But before he could listen to the conversation more closely, Wakashika and Hondomachi had already entered the interrogation room. They came in, trying to see what the commotion was all about.

“What is going on here? Is there anything that we can do to help?” Wakashika asked, a bit oblivious to the crowd surrounding them.

“Hondomachi-san! What are you doing here?” Matsuoka said once he noticed her with Wakashika, “We’re in the middle of the interrogation.”

“Oh?” the Face Lifter muttered, looking at Wakashika and Hondomachi, “Looks like we have some more people here. The more the merrier.”

Akihito slowly inched forward from the crowd, listening in on what was going on inside the interrogation room. Habutae ended up just waiting outside while the rest of them had gone inside.

“Matsuoka-san, you told me to look for Momoki-san,” Hondomachi answered, “Seems like you found him first. Why is the interrogation taking so long?”

“He is smarter than he looks. Momoki-san had been talking in circles with this man for hours after the other interrogators failed. This interrogation might end in failure.”

“Little missy, it’s been a while since I last saw you,” the Face Lifter said, eyeing closely towards Hondomachi, “Have you seen Akihito Narihisago around here?”

“How do you know his name in the first place?” Momoki exclaimed, a bit annoyed, “Did anyone tell you about Narihisago-san?”

“Even if someone did, I’m not telling you,” the Face Lifter replied, looking at Wakashika and Hondomachi curiously, “Are we going to repeat the same conversation again? Maybe let’s have the new spectators join in.”

“Narihisago-san?” Wakashika said, responding to the Face Lifter, “Isn’t he already here?”

Momoki and Matsuoka glared back. He shouldn’t have said that.

“What are you saying?” Matsuoka whispered frantically, “Now _he_ knows!”

“Knows what?” Wakashika replied, unsure about his remark, “Didn’t he ask for him this whole time?”

“That was very generous of you,” the Face Lifter said, grinning and applauding Wakashika, “Maybe he is in the crowd right now.”

_Wakashika-san. Let me be…_

Akihito closed his eyes in frustration and let out a sigh. Maybe it was best to go up front so that the interrogation wouldn't be too much of a failure. From the looks of it, the interrogation room went from a few people to a crowd of people coming in, lessening the psychological effect of fear and intimidation.

The Face Lifter was right. It really did look like a crowd waiting for entertainment than the standard interrogation measure of one or two officers inside the room. People were coming and going from the interrogation room, looking to see what was going to happen next.

_I guess it’s not everyday that you get to see a serial killer out in the open._

Akihito slowly came forward towards the Face Lifter.

“What do you want from me?”

The Face Lifter put his hand to his chin, into a thinking pose.

“How about we play a _game_?”

Before Akihito could respond to the Face Lifter, Momoki quickly grabbed his arm and approached him. He seemed wary from the many hours of talking to the Face Lifter and was unsure about what he was planning to do.

It could just be another tactic to prolong the interrogation and tire out everyone with his circular conversations that go nowhere.

“Narihisago, are you sure about this? He could be messing with you.”

Akihito smiled back at Momoki. He knew that he meant well.

But it could be beneficial to see what his conditions were for his games. After all, he could potentially reveal something accidentally if he felt like he was winning.

Akihito then faced the Face Lifter again and asked a question:

“Is it another guessing game?”

The Face Lifter smirked and cackled again. His laughter filled the room.

“ _Another_? How many games have we played together?”

Akihito felt like he wanted to punch him. He clenched his fists and released it. He must stay calm. There was a crowd around him and some of the Kura main staff was watching him.

“Once. At the top of a warehouse building.”

The Face Lifter chuckled from the response. He looked like he was in a better mood than before.

“Ah, that time,” he said, crossing his arms, “…where your daughter screamed for help while we drilled a hole into her leg…that was such a nice sound to hear…”

_Is this guy really trying to tempt me to punch him?!_

Momoki saw Akihito’s expression on his face and told him to remain calm. It was best not to get riled up again. He had already been baited by the Face Lifter before they arrived, and Matsuoka came just in time to stop him.

“Oh, and you,” the Face Lifter rambled on, pointing his finger at Hondomachi, “You were there too. It was nice having more than one player.”

Matsuoka glared at Hondomachi for a bit. She looked back at him sternly.

“Matsuoka-san, let me talk to the Face Lifter as well,” she muttered, “I think he is talking about the rescue mission that Narihisago-san and I had done to rescue his daughter. We might get more insight on him.”

Matsuoka shook his head in dismay, but he allowed her to go in front. Hondomachi quickly approached Akihito as they faced the Face Lifter.

“So, what kind of game are we playing, _Hitoshi-san_?” Hondomachi asked.

“You know my real name now,” the Face Lifter muttered back, a bit surprised, “Well, I’d expect that. You all did do background checks on me after my arrest. How about something a little bit trickier?”

“Just get on with it,” Akihito muttered, “What kind of game is it this time?”

“A game about _secrets_.”

_Is this going to be the same as last time?_

Akihito looked around to find Hondomachi by his side. She looked back at him and nodded.

“Narihisago-san, let’s hope it’s quicker this time,” she whispered, “This interrogation probably already tired everybody out, so we don’t have much time.”

“Understood,” Akihito whispered back, “We may have to stop this game early like before…”

After the two of them discussed for a few minutes, they turned back to face the Face Lifter for his game. A game about secrets could mean revealing someone’s past, hinting at a motive, or blackmail. It could go many ways, so they needed a threshold to stop.

“If it becomes too personal, we need to stop this game,” Akihito whispered again towards Hondomachi, “I know that he is watching us, but we have the upper hand here.”

“You want the game to be short?” the Face Lifter said, hearing some of the conversation, “Sure, why not. We don’t have all day after all.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Hitoshi-san,” Akihito replied, glaring at him.

“Now, let us begin.”

“Since you two are the players, I’ll let you two go first,” the Face Lifter said, pointing at Akihito and Hondomachi, “You two were in the last game, why not be in a second one?”

“What kind of secrets are you talking about?” Hondomachi asked.

“Any kind. We just exchange secrets,” the Face Lifter muttered back, while snapping his fingers, “I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you some information on the man I know of if you can tell me yours. Is that a better deal?”

_Would the Face Lifter finally talk to us about John Walker?_

Momoki was looking from the side of the crowd. They got pushed a bit by the crowd, who were eager to see what was going on. Matsuoka was near him as well, since Hondomachi was getting involved again. Once he saw an opening from the crowd, he slowly walked past them to get to the outside door. Upon looking around, he spotted Habutae outside, who had been waiting for his group to come out for at least an hour now.

“Habutae-san? Can I ask for a favor?”

Habutae looked back to see Momoki, who was speaking to him. After quickly regaining his composure, he complied on what Momoki was asking him to do.

Meanwhile, Akihito and Hondomachi were facing the Face Lifter in a game of secrets. But since they only had background information on him, they couldn’t get much out of him except the ones that were already on record. However, the Face Lifter had been able to accurately guess their own backgrounds without trying.

It seemed like he really had gotten inside information from somebody after all.

“Narihisago-san, you really love photography don’t you? You want memories of your _precious_ family right?” the Face Lifter said, pointing his fingers at Akihito again before pointing them towards Hondomachi, “And you little missy, doesn’t your own mother _ignore_ you? Poor thing.”

“Why you—”

Hondomachi was about to grab her gun, but Matsuoka stopped her in time. Akihito felt unnerved by the Face Lifter’s remarks about his hobbies, his family and finally his daughter, Muku.

This man really did know their secrets. Could John Walker be behind this?

“How do you know so much about us?” Akihito exclaimed, a bit startled, “Is it from the intel from the man with a top hat and cane?”

“Bingo. Took you long enough. But since this is a game about secrets, I won’t tell you. You would have to figure it out yourself, Narihisago-san…”

_So, this guy wasn’t going to tell us anything in the first place after all! What a cheater!_

Akihito felt furious upon hearing the response. Although he somewhat expected it, due to the last “game” he played with the Face Lifter a couple months back during his capture and rescue of his daughter. Regardless, he wondered why he was stupid enough to go along with a serial killer’s games.

_Why am I doing this? Isn’t this the man who almost killed Muku? He deserves worse than this. I shouldn’t be playing along with a serial killer’s game. Shouldn’t he play on our terms?_

But before Akihito could do anything, somebody suddenly touched his shoulder. The crowd had gotten smaller since his arrival.

“That is enough, Narihisago-san. This interrogation is over for today.”

It was Chief Hayaseura. Momoki had asked Habutae to call the Chief for help so that the interrogation wouldn't go on forever. Matsuoka had been restraining Hondomachi to prevent her from getting her gun out. She was so close to shooting at the Face Lifter due to his jabs at her past.

“Seems like this room had attracted a crowd of spectators rather than interrogators,” the Chief said, “Momoki-san, you should have stopped interrogating this man hours ago. No need to be ashamed of a failure. There is always next time.”

Momoki came forward, a bit embarrassed. He glared at the Chief before apologizing for his actions. The rest of the crowd quickly dispersed out of the interrogation room, hoping to not get into trouble later with the Chief. All that was left was a few of the Kura main staff inside the room as well as some guards.

“Sonoda Hitoshi,” the Chief said, looking at the Face Lifter, “You can go back to the Kura Prison cell to rest. We will give you your meals later.”

“Sure thing,” the Face Lifter replied, snickering.

He was quickly taken away by the guards back to his jail cell inside Kura Prison.

The Chief then turned towards Momoki, who felt silent from the whole interrogation fiasco. He patted his shoulder before leaving a message:

_It has been a few weeks. Come to the 2 nd floor of the Wellside Room tonight. We have many things to discuss, Momoki-san._

Momoki glared back at him and didn’t utter a word. The Chief then waved back at the rest of the main Kura staff members before leaving the interrogation room to do his business. Everyone slowly left the room, leaving the interrogation room deserted, with only Akihito left behind. He went towards the now empty interrogation table, with a small handcuff hanging by the chair.

“Why do I get baited so easily?” Akihito muttered under his breath, while clenching his fists, “Why am I so weak? Can’t I do anything right?”

Later that night, Momoki was preparing his papers and documents for his private meeting with the Chief. Most of the Kura staff had left for the night, due to the extremely long interrogation session with the Face Lifter that ended in failure. Akihito had hoped to talk with Momoki, but he seemed to be out of it.

“Narihisago, you can leave without me for tonight,” Momoki said, “I have some important business to do with the Chief.”

“How long would the meeting take?” Akihito asked, unsure of what to expect, “I can always wait for you.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Momoki replied, trying to get everything organized, “But if you really want to do something, maybe make sure the Mizuhanome cockpit is ready to go. I have heard that we may be getting an official case soon…”

“O-Okay, I can do that,” Akihito muttered, “It’s not your fault that the interrogation ended in failure today.”

Momoki shook his head.

“Narihisago,” Momoki said as he looked back from the doorway, “You don’t need to lie about that. I should not have prolonged the interrogation to this extent. It _is_ my fault.”

He then took his papers and bags and left the room.

Akihito went back to the 5th floor, where the cockpit room was located. He walked around in the now silent hallway, which had previously been full of people not long before during work hours. The hallway still looked bare, just like the first day that they came into the building.

“This floor always felt a bit empty in here,” he said as he walked towards the cockpit room, “It’s so bare compared to the other floors. It’s still creepy.”

Once he got into the cockpit room, Akihito went to inspect the Mizuhanome cockpit again. The usual. There were no signs of wear or tear apart from the seating. The machine had been relatively cleaned and maintained well throughout the testing.

He quickly looked around the room. It was still as bare as ever.

Akihito walked around the cockpit room, trying to measure how big the space was.

_Looks like this room can fit more than one Mizuhanome cockpit. Maybe there are more cockpits inside this building, just not put here due to testing purposes right now._

After he was done inspecting and strolling across the room, he decided to sit down on the cockpit again. Akihito somewhat felt useless. Despite facing a few serial killers over the course of his career, he never felt like he did enough.

That carelessness almost got Muku killed.

“And now this,” Akihito muttered to himself, “Did I make Momoki’s interrogation session _worse_?”

He closed his eyes and sulked for a bit.

Meanwhile, Momoki had arrived on the 2nd floor of the Wellside Room. The Chief was looking through the windows of the Wellside Room, which showed the first floor underneath them. There was a seating arrangement not too far from them, with some chairs and tables filled with snacks and refreshments. A couple lamps were lit around the corners.

“Welcome, Momoki-san,” the Chief said, smiling as he turned around to face him, “Do you have everything prepared?”

“I don’t know, Chief Hayaseura,” Momoki replied back, while he put his bags away and took out some papers, “Aren’t you the one who offered me the invitation in the first place?”

“Very well. Then let us set up our preparations for our private meeting shall we?”

Momoki glared back at the Chief.

“Yes, Chief Hayaseura.”

After Akihito sulked for a bit, he began to hear some sort of noise coming from the hallway. He snapped out of his daze and looked around him. There was nobody near him.

_I must be tired. I should probably leave soon._

He scratched his head, trying to think about what to do. Then he remembered.

Kura Prison was on the same floor as the cockpit room. Didn’t the Chief show them the area before? Does that mean…

“The Face Lifter isn’t far from here. And since he is probably the one making noise, he isn’t asleep yet…”

Akihito then closed his eyes again. What should he do?

Should he try to interrogate the Face Lifter inside his own cell?

_But I don’t want to deal with his so-called “games” again…unless…_

“…unless I play on my own terms.”

Akihito gave the idea another thought. Since Momoki took all day and failed at the interrogation, maybe he could try to help by going to Kura Prison not far from here and try to get some response from the Face Lifter.

“It’s probably worth a try. He is staying here after all…”

And so, Akihito left the cockpit room to go to Kura Prison and check where the noise was coming from.

Momoki quickly set the tables and chairs up for the Chief and put some of the documents on the side. After they were both comfortable, they each sat at a chair that was next to each other. The Chief seemed laidback and casual about the whole meeting, while Momoki felt tense and wary.

_What is the Chief thinking? We could have found a nicer place to chat, but instead he seem to favor making the whole atmosphere creepy. Does he want to lower my guard?_

Momoki looked towards the set up that the Chief had made. The dim lighting from the lamps nearby had created an eerie feeling throughout the 2nd floor lounge. After setting up his documents, the Chief looked back at him and requested the information he had gathered so far.

“Are you still worried about Narihisago-san’s safety?”

Momoki glared at him.

“Yes, Chief Hayaseura.”

The Chief smiled back at him and laughed.

“Such a caring friend. You want to know everything on why he was chosen, right? You even investigated the documents that were found. Do you really want to know that badly?”

Momoki remained silent at his response. He didn’t want to fail and get baited like the Face Lifter interrogation that occurred a couple hours ago.

“Do you have anything else, Momoki-san? I know you probably have more than you’re letting out. I can answer them all for you.”

After a while, Momoki scratched his head and sighed. Taking out some of his papers, he decided to get some questions out of the way.

“Chief Hayaseura, what happened to the past candidates?”

“Oho, already hitting a vital point? That’s a homicide detective turned Director of Kura for you.”

Momoki continued to glare at him, unsure on what he should say.

“How about a story, Momoki-san? Maybe then you will understand…”

Akihito walked towards the Kura Prison and heard the noise getting louder and louder. He then quickly checked to make sure that no one was following him. Looking around, he caught his breath and continued moving forward.

“Let’s see what’s going on around here…”

He walked into Kura Prison and found himself filled in an aisle full of jail cells. Most of the cells were empty, as they hadn’t been filled by any new prisoners yet. Except one.

One of the lights was still on. Somebody seemed to be moving things around.

“So that’s where the noise is coming from…”

Akihito walked closer towards the jail cell. The Face Lifter was organizing his display of masks on the wall of his cell. He seemed to be making noise from his constant movement around his cell. Then, he looked around to find Akihito standing there, not too far from him.

He looked surprised and confused at the same time.

“Isn’t the interrogation over for today? What are _you_ doing here?”

Akihito came forward and leaned against the wall that was closest to his cell.

“ _Hitoshi-san_ , that isn’t nice. I came here to play a _game_ with you.”

The Face Lifter looked up to see him coming closer to the cell, eyeing him sternly.

“What’s wrong?” Akihito muttered, as he crossed his arms, “Don’t you always like to play games with people? Why are you afraid now?”

_This scumbag. Why does he get to live despite killing so many people? He almost killed Muku. He could be involved with John Walker. I’ll beat him at his own game._

“W-What kind of game? Are you mocking me?!”

Akihito chuckled a bit.

“Of course not. Isn’t it the same games you always played with others? Using fear and intimidation?”

The Face Lifter stopped making noise from organizing his masks and turned to face Akihito. His face blushed red from embarrassment as he stared at him from eye to eye. It looked like his pride had just been tested.

“F-Fine. I know everything about you, you know…”

“We’ll see about that,” Akihito muttered back, glaring back at him.

Chief Hayaseura began his story:

“Once upon a time, there was a man with many faces. He had one for home, work, and the police force. One day, he was asked about what to do with the criminals that were left to rot in jail. Usually, murderers were executed for their crimes. However, serial killers were another matter. They were the monsters of society…”

_Wait, what does this have to do with the past candidates?_

Momoki looked at the Chief but didn’t say anything.

“Impatient already? I’ll get to that part soon. Keep listening, Momoki-san.”

And the Chief continued with his story.

“…Not knowing what to do with them, the police asked the man for advice. The man with many faces didn’t know what to do with them as well.

‘What if you create more faces for them?’ the police asked.

‘More faces? What will they be used for?’ the man asked back.

They wanted the man with many faces to create more faces for the murderers, criminals, the trash of society. They were to be used on them to help society instead, as their own unit. With multiple faces, the criminals in society could catch their own, hidden from society as normal people…”

_Who is the man with many faces? Is it possible that the Chief is referring to himself?_

Momoki wasn’t sure about it, so he kept thinking.

“…So, the man with many faces began experimenting on the criminals, hoping to find a solution. The results were a hit or miss, however. Some did not make it. But there were a few survivors from it…”

_Human experimentation? Is the Chief referring to the past candidates or the forgotten criminals?_

Momoki thought for a moment before looking back at the Chief, listening to his story.

“…Unfortunately, they were executed afterwards. So, all that was left were data records from the experiments. And thus, the man with the many faces had failed to get insight on their minds, hoping to resolve society’s problem.”

“Was the story referring to you, Chief Hayaseura?” Momoki asked, looking a bit wary.

The Chief chuckled back.

“No, no. It’s just a simple story, Momoki-san. What made you come to that conclusion?”

Momoki got up from the chair.

“Why you—”

“Why are you being so impatient, Momoki-san? Don’t you like an appetizer before the main course? That’s not how a Director should act.”

Momoki was clenching his fists before he released them. He quickly sat back down again.

_What is going on? The Chief really is taking his time. Has he been baiting me for my reaction this whole time?!_

“So, you want to know what happened to the past candidates, Momoki-san? I can tell you what happened to them right now.”

Akihito was facing the Face Lifter, who was inside his own cell. They were trying to figure out each other’s secrets again. The Face Lifter had repeated the same things that he said during the interrogation, so it didn’t faze Akihito this time.

“Are you done, Hitoshi-san?” Akihito said, yawning a bit, “This is just a repeat from the interrogation room. I won’t fall for it a second time.”

“But what information do you have against me, Narihisago-san?” the Face Lifter muttered back, thinking he could outsmart him, “You only know my background information just because you rely on police records!”

Akihito closed his eyes and put his hand to his chin. He opened them again and looked back at him.

“And you rely on information from a suspicious man just trying to avoid telling us anything about him,” Akihito replied, “That’s hypocrisy. You underestimate the police and the justice system.”

“But what else do you know about me?” the Face Lifter said, pointing his fingers at Akihito, “You only have theories and guesswork. You can’t scare me, Narihisago-san.”

He was right. There wasn't much to go by just with background information. There were other factors, such as one’s personality, psyche, and motivation. But didn’t he go into the Face Lifter’s id well not too long ago? There was also the Face Lifter’s own jail cell, which he could customize to his taste.

Akihito closed his eyes again and began thinking again.

_Is it possible that the Face Lifter’s id well has his weakness? It could be worth a try._

Akihito looked back at the Face Lifter and his small jail cell. He had been hanging up some masks on the wall, like a cheap macabre theatre display. The masks looked like the ones from _kabuki_ , Japanese stage plays, with various expressions such as a demon and a maiden. His bed was organized despite the messy arrangements of the masks beside him.

Meanwhile, while inside his id well, he had seen human-faced creatures with distorting features. They seemed to change their facial features over time, as if in slow motion. John Walker himself also seemed to change faces during the fight.

When he took off the top hat, it revealed his own face.

Not the Face Lifter’s or the blurry can man’s facial features, but his own.

_There must be something to it. It is based on the Face Lifter’s own psyche after all._

Akihito looked toward the jail cell wall behind the Face Lifter again.

“Hitoshi-san, why is your wall full of masks? Doesn’t that say something about you?”

“W-What about it? They’re just pretty to me, okay?”

“Really? Are you so sure that it’s not related to your _identity_?”

The Chief got up from his chair and began walking around. Momoki was still sulking, with his hands on his knees. The Chief looked back from Momoki and touched his beard.

“Momoki-san, would you like some more refreshments? I can get us some coffee from the vending machines.”

Momoki shook his head and declined the offer.

“Chief Hayaseura, what happened to those candidates? Why are there no records of them?”

The Chief sighed as he walked around the table before going back towards Momoki.

“It was very unfortunate. They were some of the best police detectives in Japan. The most self-righteous and justice-filled people that you ever saw. There were hopes that they could help dive into a criminal’s mind. But it was all for naught…”

Momoki glared at him before looking at the floor again.

“…Their detective personas may have fared well for a while, but when they came out, their minds were destroyed. They became vegetables or remained in comas. The damage was irreversible. But we cannot show that to the public. After all, we are just a technology research company from an outsider’s perspective.”

Momoki closed his eyes in frustration. He hadn’t been able to speak in at least an hour.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

The Chief smiled and patted Momoki on the shoulder. He seemed gentle and caring, but there was always some sort of creepy vibe coming from him. Momoki couldn’t pinpoint why, but his gut feeling had always felt weird around him.

“Not speaking again, Momoki-san? You only let me talk this whole time. We can’t let the second-in-command just be a soft speaker to authority don’t you think? I’m always open for suggestions.”

Momoki didn’t say anything from that. He felt cornered by the Chief already.

“Very well. I might as well continue where I left off. The detectives that were left in comas or vegetables were sent into unnamed care facilities, not to be seen again. The rest who survived were taken away. All the detective’s records were wiped, leaving only the data and important pieces of information based off wells…”

The Chief then started to brush his beard with his hand.

“…One day, the police had captured a few murderers and had wanted us to place them somewhere temporarily before their trial and confession. There was a limited time frame to do something with them, so I asked the police. They allowed it.”

_Then that means that murderers were in the cockpit before Narihisago…_

Strangely enough, it didn’t sound too far fetched to Momoki. This whole sector was about dealing with killers for Japan’s police force after all.

“Curious to see where this is going, Momoki-san? The murderers were able to get inside the Mizuhanome, and we were able to collect their id wells from them. Their places of murder, mayhem, and destruction. However, they were not very smart. They kept dying and we couldn’t find much use for them. But there was something different about them than the pure-hearted detectives beforehand…”

Momoki looked at the Chief again.

“You don’t mean—”

“Yes. Their minds were not destroyed unlike the previous participants. But they were not detectives. There must be a middle ground for someone to go into the machine without being mentally damaged…”

_No wonder Narihisago wasn’t sure about the job at first. This makes much more sense now._

The Chief paused for a moment before revealing the answer.

“We can have a police detective…who has murdered someone.”

Akihito continued to corner the Face Lifter on his secrets, one by one. The information he had gathered was only from his own experience inside his id well and speculations from the Face Lifter’s own jail cell decorations, hinting at his own insecurities and desires. But at least they were more than just the background information that the police had on record.

“Who are you exactly? Do you have no identity? Or is your very own identity so fragile that you would want to steal from others?”

“No! I just like the feeling of peeling people’s faces okay? It has _nothing_ to do with that!”

“Really?” Akihito muttered, while putting his hand to his chin, “But how did that desire come about? There must be something hidden within you that you want but have never gotten.”

The Face Lifter froze in his tracks. He sat on the floor of his small jail cell and covered his face.

“Still not talking? What happened to the confident game-loving man from the interrogation room?” Akihito said, staring at him, “Do you not understand yourself?”

The Face Lifter still didn’t say anything. Akihito crossed his arms in dismay.

“Guess this conversation is going nowhere. Hitoshi-san, do you ever wonder what you lack in this world? Don’t you _want_ something?”

“A-A new face…”

_At least he responded this time._

“What are you talking about?” Akihito muttered, surprised by the Face Lifter’s answer, “You want a new physical face or a new identity? Which one is more important to you?”

“I-I don’t know…”

Akihito thought for a moment on the Face Lifter’s self-doubt. If it’s something he can’t obtain or satisfy himself in this life, what about the next one?

“A new face, huh. Maybe I can help you with that…”

He looked at the Face Lifter, grinning.

Meanwhile, Momoki was not happy about the reveal.

He had anticipated something special about Narihisago, but not like this. It didn’t sound right. It didn’t seem right. Something felt off but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

“Chief Hayaseura, why would you choose Narihisago-san then?” Momoki exclaimed, a little wary, “He hasn’t killed anyone!”

“How are you so sure he hasn’t?” the Chief muttered back, “Can you really trust him telling you everything?”

Momoki paused for a moment to catch his breath. He hadn’t been able to speak much during their private meeting this whole time, only listening to the Chief’s rambles and stories on his own visions. It was like the Chief was speaking in riddles.

“Momoki-san,” the Chief said as he walked around the room again, “The Mizuhanome only allows people who have killed someone to dive into the machine unscathed. The reason that Narihisago-san was able to come out many times unharmed demonstrates that. However, I’m still not sure how much it will affect his mental state.”

“Is that why you waited for us to make our decision before joining Kura?” Momoki asked, sternly looking at him.

“Exactly. Momoki-san, do you remember any cases where Narihisago-san had killed anyone so far?” the Chief muttered back, facing Momoki, “I’m sure you know which one I’m talking about. You are his best friend after all…”

Momoki closed his eyes for a moment to think about what the Chief had said.

_A case where Narihisago had killed someone._

A room that was splattered with blood inside an apartment unit. The destruction from the broken TV and a lamp with a shattered knife on the floor. A bloodied man lying on the floor, barely breathing with his twisted left arm. The broken glass panel from the balcony, which was stained with blood all over the place.

And an umbrella with a bloodied tip on the floor next to him.

“Oho, you know what the case is then?” the Chief asked, while stroking his beard.

“The 2016 Challenger case,” Momoki muttered under his breath, “The one where he fought the Challenger inside his own home and barely survived. His daughter was almost killed.”

“Yes, and the court case ruled it as self-defense didn’t it?” the Chief chuckled back, “That was truly fortunate and lucky for Narihisago-san.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have heard of suicides with your past Fukui cases, Momoki-san? The Mizuhanome also registers it as a murder. We were able to find not one id well, but two inside his home. Narihisago’s and the Challenger’s. They were so close together that it was hard to tell the difference.”

“Wait, how were you able to get into his home? That incident had already been resolved in the media during that time,” Momoki muttered back, “…Unless you came into his home later on.”

“That’s true. We did come afterwards,” the Chief replied, “Kura wasn’t formed during that time, but the Challenger case is still an unresolved cold case to this day. How did the man get in and how did he find the perfect time to face the girl alone inside the home?”

Momoki clenched his fists. He didn’t know what to do and what to say.

What was he going to say to Narihisago? All of this sounded like bad news. He wouldn’t want to call his _own_ friend a murderer.

_Narihisago hates killers. He wants nothing to do with them…_

“Speechless?” the Chief asked, as he approached Momoki this time, “I know that you are worried about Narihisago-san, but now you know the truth of why he was chosen to be the Mizuhanome Pilot and what happened to the past candidates. Do you need anything else?”

Momoki looked down on the floor, defeated. The Chief then touched his shoulder and squeezed it tightly as he went closer towards his face.

“I’ll recommend that you don’t tell Narihisago-san what you have just learned tonight. You don’t know how he will react. He will find out the truth in his own time…”

“Why not?”

The Chief squeezed Momoki’s shoulder harder.

“Isn’t he stressed enough already?” the Chief replied, glaring at Momoki, “You don’t want to put _more_ pressure on him, right? Who knows if John Walker will come back, this is only the beginning. He has a family to protect.”

Then the Chief let go and went back to the tables and chairs to get his coat and personal belongings. He walked past Momoki as he was heading towards the door to leave the 2nd floor lounge of the Wellside Room.

“Thank you for accepting the private meeting, Momoki-san. It was very enjoyable. Have a nice night and be careful walking back home.”

“T-Thank you for coming in as well, Chief Hayaseura. Have a good night.”

And the Chief left Momoki alone, inside the room. The night had grown darker, as the Wellside Room’s upper transparent rooftop showed some stars in the sky. Momoki went back and sat on one of the chairs that was still organized a few hours back.

He closed his eyes in shame and frustration.

_What am I going to say to Narihisago and Togo-san?_

There were more questions than answers. The Chief had technically answered his questions, but also opened many more.

If the Chief was also involved in the Challenger case two years ago, what did that mean for Narihisago?

After Akihito was done talking with the Face Lifter, he went back up to wait for Momoki to come back from his meeting. Momoki didn’t talk to Akihito that night, unsure of what to say. Their journey back home was a quiet one.

The next day, the Face Lifter was found dead inside his own jail cell in Kura Prison.

Akihito had told him a story about a man with many faces as well, but it had a different ending. The Chief apparently liked to talk about the story to him. After the man was sick of making so many criminals and killers, he wanted to have a different purpose. To start anew. But in order to do that, one must be reincarnated.

So, the man took his own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 is here! Just as the Face Lifter ends Arc 1, he also kickstarts Arc 2! :D  
> Next chapter will be another full case! We are back to having new serial killer cases again.  
> It will be an original serial killer this time. 
> 
> This chapter is also another heavy one, reaching 11k words. Please take your time reading it.  
> Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> Beta and Edited by Ayden


	12. The Brander (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIRST FULL ORIGINAL CASE (PART 1 AND PART 2)
> 
> THE 4TH CASE: THE BRANDER

File 12: The Brander (Part 1)

_I opened my eyes._

_The ground was moist and wet. It was as if I was on grass where it had just rained. The sky looked clear and bright, as if I had just woken up from a nap. Getting up, I shook off the grass debris off of myself and looked at my clothes._

_I was dressed as Sakaido again._

_What’s going on here?_

_Not far from me, there were a few bodies laid on the ground. A girl was near them, as if in prayer. She seemed to be mourning for them._

_I went over and checked to see who the bodies were._

_It was my wife Ayako and my daughter Muku, both with their throats slit from side to side. Their hands were placed in a position as if to signal something._

_"Sakaido, there is something on their hands.”_

_Kaeru-chan pointed at their fingertips, which had now turned black from liver mortis. I went over to check again, being careful not to mess with my own family’s bodies._

_There was a small but visibly shaped mark on their hands. It was shaped like a V but cut in half._

_It looked like it was placed there after death._

_I looked back at Kaeru-chan and my family’s dead bodies. It felt vaguely familiar._

_“Kaeru-chan, what are you doing here?”_

_She looked back at me and smiled helplessly. A butterfly suddenly appeared around her._

_“Awaiting my death.”_

_Immediately, two figures came out from the grass, as if Kaeru-chan’s words caused them to appear. One of them was wearing a top hat and carrying a cane while the other looked like an average person. Each of them was carrying a weapon, which resembled a scythe._

_“Wait, no! Kaeru-chan!”_

_John Walker came closer towards Kaeru-chan again, this time with a scythe around her neck. I tried to rush forward towards her but got stopped by the other man. He covered my mouth and held another scythe near my neck._

_“Don’t interfere.”_

_I felt a slash on my neck, followed by dizziness and blood gushing out of my mouth. I struggled to breathe as I tried to reach out to Kaeru-chan, who was getting slashed in front of me._

_More butterflies were coming out of her, engulfing the place again._

_I was losing consciousness as I watched in horror, unable to do anything. Nothing made sense yet seemed so familiar._

_Who are you, Kaeru-chan?_

Akihito opened his eyes from his nightmare. He quickly rubbed his neck, making sure that he didn’t get any injuries or cuts from the dream. He looked around him, hoping he hadn't made any noise that would startle Ayako, who was sleeping next to him. Her warm body was next to his, trying to keep him close for comfort.

Her hands were snuggled close to his own, as if grasping them for life.

“Aki-kun, please be alright. We’ll be there for you…”

Akihito gasped, thinking that she was awake. He turned around to face her, expecting another scolding about him not telling her anything. But she was still asleep. Just sleep talking while she held his hand gently.

He rose up from the bed and looked back at Ayako. He gently removed his hands out of her grasp before patting her on the head. Her hair was long and messy, leaving bits of hair on the pillows and part of the bedsheets. She seemed to be exhausted, working all around the house and making sure that he didn’t do anything strange or mischievous.

“I’m fine, Aya-chan. I’ll protect you two with my life.”

He checked the time.

6:30.

_Guess I woke up earlier this time. Maybe I can prepare something for them before work._

So, Akihito got up to prepare some breakfast for Muku and Ayako before they woke up.

“Dad? You’re cooking this time?” Muku said as she came into the dining room, “Usually, Mom would be in the kitchen right now. What are you doing here?”

Akihito was in the kitchen, preparing some egg toast. He knew that Muku loved them. There was some rice and miso soup on the side along with other small dishes. Muku came over towards the dining table and put some of her school supplies and backpack to the side.

“What’s wrong with a change once in a while, Muku?” Akihito muttered as he brought out the rest of the food, “You don’t like my cooking?”

Muku looked up at her Dad before answering, a bit worried.

“You usually don’t get up so early like this. Where’s Mom?”

Akihito smiled back, trying to reassure her. His constant nightmares over the past few months probably made his family worried sick, trying to give him different remedies to make him feel better.

“She’s still sleeping. I’ll save some food for her so that she will have something to eat when she wakes up.”

Muku then chomped on her egg toast and her face lit up. It seemed as if she liked it.

“Seems like you like it,” Akihito said as he smirked, “How about a compliment?”

“It was good, okay?” Muku muttered back, hiding her embarrassment, “I need to catch the train soon.”

Akihito checked the time. Muku’s high school wouldn't start class for a few hours. Did it have to do with club meetings and activities? She could be staying at school until late at night again.

“Muku, is it club activities again?”

Muku looked back at him nonchalantly.

“Of course, it’s club activities, Dad! You saw me come back home late many times already. I’ll be safe, okay? I’ll be with my classmates and friends.”

Akihito suddenly felt uneasy. It was as if a sense of sheer terror overcame him. It felt familiar yet strange. It was like he had this feeling before. Like a sense of déjà vu.

“Dad?”

He snapped out of his daze. Muku had finished eating her breakfast and was organizing her school supplies before leaving the house. She was waving her hands around his face, trying to make him pay attention to her.

“I-I’m fine. Will you seriously be alright? Stay at school while you’re doing your club activities.”

Muku seemed annoyed by her Dad’s remarks. She sighed as she changed her shoes before going out the door. She then took her backpack and put it on her back.

“Well then, I’ll leave before you, Dad! See you later!” Muku said as she went out the door. Akihito looked back in shock as she left quickly, not letting him tell her anything.

Confused, Akihito quickly cleaned up the dining table and the kitchen before leaving himself. He left some miso soup, rice, and an egg toast for Ayako on the dining table, leaving a short note for her to eat when she woke up.

“Maybe I worry too much,” Akihito muttered to himself as he prepared his own suitcase for work, “Hopefully, Muku won’t be in danger in another city. We already left that place…”

But what’s with the constant nagging feeling he had since Muku left?

_What’s this feeling? Why am I having it again? It feels like something horrible might happen to our family…_

Akihito closed his eyes and sighed. He didn’t want to think about it. This couldn't be another repeat like the Challenger and the Face Lifter right? But he just had that dream, it was different but seemed awfully familiar.

His wife and daughter were dead in his dreams again…

_No, not this again. I’m probably tired. The nightmares might just be messing with my head, giving me sleep deprivation and hallucinations. I just dived too many times during testing and the Mizuhanome might be just be messing with me. Everything will be fine._

And Akihito quickly went out of the house, rushing to work as he tried to not think about it.

Akihito walked towards the Kura Building as he arrived for work. He looked around him, feeling as though he had forgotten something. Checking the time, he made sure that he arrived early. But it seemed like the front entrance didn’t have many people at the moment. 

“Did I arrive too early?” he muttered, “Where is everyone?”

Not far from him, Wakashika came out the front door, as if taking a breath of fresh air. He immediately noticed Akihito looking back at him, dumbfounded. It looked like Akihito didn’t know what was going on and wondered why there weren’t many people during the early morning hours.

“Narihisago-san!” Wakashika said as he came forward towards him, “Did you come early to investigate what happened to the Face Lifter as well?”

_The Face Lifter? What happened to him this time? Isn’t he just sitting there, rotting in Kura Prison right now?_

“What are you talking about? What happened to him? Did he cause any trouble?”

Wakashika seemed shocked by Akihito’s remark. He scratched his head before explaining what happened to him.

“Haven’t you heard? The Face Lifter was found dead a few days ago. We don’t know what caused him to kill himself like that. These past few days, we have been doing an autopsy on his body to see if he took any poison or something beforehand.”

_Did he actually kill himself? Did he actually take my story seriously?!_

“Narihisago-san?”

Wakashika was looking at him, confused.

“S-Sorry about that, Wakashika-san. I’m still feeling drowsy from getting here so early,” Akihito explained, trying to sound reasonable, “Did you manage to deduce any reasons as to why he would do that? We failed to interrogate him after all.”

“You do have a point,” Wakashika answered back, putting his hand to his chin, “He may have wanted to take the secrets of John Walker to the grave. We might not know the true reason. Guess we’re in for a long haul to see if we want to find more information about him.”

Akihito tried to remember what he had forgotten. Then it clicked.

“Wakashika-san, did I forget to call Momoki-san?” he asked, rubbing his face, “I didn’t come to work with him today.”

“I’m not sure, Narihisago-san. I know that you two normally come to work together. Did something happen between you two?”

Akihito put his hand to his chin and tried to remember. That night after he talked with the Face Lifter, he waited for Momoki to come back from his meeting. They weren’t able to talk about anything that night when they went back home together. It was just a silent trip.

_I wonder what Momoki talked about with the Chief. He won’t tell me anything. Maybe I should ask the Chief to find out what was said during the meeting._

“I don’t know, Wakashika-san. He probably just wanted to spend more time with Togo-san…”

Just as Akihito finished his sentence, Wakashika seemed to react a bit annoyed, especially after hearing Togo’s name. It caused him to immediately change the topic.

“I-I understand now, Narihisago-san,” Wakashika muttered, trying to hold back his envy before looking back at Akihito, “Since Momoki-san isn’t here right now, can you show me the cockpit room this time?”

_Oh, that. We were stopped by Momoki and Togo-san last time._

“Sure,” Akihito replied, looking around again, “But what about Habutae-san and Shiratake-san? Aren’t they with you?”

Wakashika smiled nervously before answering Akihito’s question. He quickly grabbed one of Akihito’s hands and dragged him into the Kura Building. They had been talking outside for some time, and other people could have overheard them.

“They’re busy setting up the Wellside Room for the case we’re getting today. The other Kura staff members are preparing their positions to capture him as well. There’s plenty of room inside Kura Prison anyway. Too bad it’s empty again.”

Akihito shook his head at Wakashika’s explanation and accepted it. There was still time before they got briefed on the official case, and Momoki hadn't arrived yet. They couldn't begin their missions until they got more information from the Chief.

"Very well. I’ll lead you to the cockpit room real quick, Wakashika-san. Just don’t try to touch the cockpit too much.”

“No problem, Narihisago-san. I’ll help you out if you have any issues.”

And the two of them went towards the cockpit room, making sure that no one was following them.

A few hours later, Momoki and Togo arrived at the Kura Building. They were discussing the Face Lifter’s death and what to do about it. But Momoki also seemed concerned about another topic: The Chief’s story about the Man with Many Faces. What did that signify?

There were also preparations for the upcoming case that they were getting today, followed by a briefing by the Chief himself before they started their operations.

“Togo-san, was there any abnormality with the Face Lifter’s death?” Momoki asked, while they walked around the building, “It seemed so sudden and strange. He had us in a stalemate and had no need to do this.”

“It could be due to his loyalty to the man, Momoki-san,” Togo answered, “There are killers who won’t reveal anything to the very end. We are back to square one to find out who John Walker is.”

Momoki remained silent on that answer. Ever since that meeting, he had felt wary about the Chief, and was unsure about what to do. Even though he seemed suspicious, he had no evidence and proof against him. It would be strange to suspect one’s own boss after all.

“Togo-san, do you know about the Chief’s story? It’s about a Man with Many Faces. Does it mean anything?”

Togo looked back at Momoki, surprised but not shocked. She giggled a bit before answering him.

“You don’t know? The Chief tells that to everyone. You create your own ending from that story. Momoki-san, you are the Director yet don’t know that?”

Momoki felt embarrassed. He and Narihisago arrived at Kura later than the other main Kura staff members, so they hadn't known about the Chief’s other habits until later. He hadn't heard about that story until he went to the Chief’s private meeting a few nights ago.

“Togo-san, do you have your own ending to the story?” Momoki muttered back, “I don’t think I have one yet. I’m curious on how this whole thing works.”

“Well, if you are really that interested,” Togo answered back, thinking to herself, “I let the man find a lover so that he could be able to handle the stress of making masks for the criminals. Although later on, he stopped doing it so that he could spend time to make a family.”

_That’s kind of sweet. Togo-san cares more than she lets out._

“Momoki-san, aren’t you forgetting something?”

Momoki looked at her, wondering what she was going to ask.

“What do you mean?”

Togo shook her head in dismay before she responded.

“Narihisago-san? Did you forget to call him to come together for work? Did something happen between you two again?”

Momoki remembered the silence when he and Narihisago left the building that night. He didn’t want to tell his best friend the bad news so soon. They didn’t talk to each other the whole trip going back home. It didn’t feel right but he didn’t want to make that day even worse than it already was with the failed interrogation.

“Nothing much happened, Togo-san. We just didn’t talk much…”

Togo looked back at Momoki, questioning his answer. She then pushed Momoki in front to lead him to the cockpit room.

“Momoki-san, go check up on Narihisago-san. He could be in the cockpit room already. Make sure that he is stable enough for our first official case today. I’ll see you back in the Wellside Room.”

And then Togo quickly left Momoki alone inside the hallway, leaving him dumbfounded and confused.

“She really knows how to get her way,” he muttered, scratching his head. He slowly walked towards the cockpit room on the 5th floor, unsure of what to expect when he got there. 

_If the Chief told this story to everyone, it’s possible that Narihisago would also have his own ending to the story…_

Momoki made his way to the cockpit room, expecting only Narihisago to be in it. But he was shocked to see someone else sitting in the cockpit.

It was Wakashika, who was inspecting the cockpit. Akihito was standing next to him, making sure that he didn’t touch any of the buttons on the side of the cockpit.

“This is really amazing, Narihisago-san!” he exclaimed, looking over the features of the cockpit, “It makes you feel like you are going inside a video game.”

But before Wakashika could talk more, he immediately saw Momoki standing by the door of the cockpit room, looking at them. Akihito seemed unsurprised at their encounter, scratching his head from his embarrassment.

“Did you let Wakashika-san into the cockpit room?” Momoki asked, seeing the two of them inside the room, “I saw the two of you were about to go in last time, but didn’t expect that you would do it again!”

“Sorry about that, Momoki,” Akihito answered back, “He really wanted to see what the room looked like and there doesn’t seem to be any harm in knowing. It’s already strange that we were the only ones that saw the room in the first place.”

Momoki shook his head at Akihito’s remark. The main Kura staff had not been able to see the cockpit room for themselves despite being here earlier than them, yet only he and Narihisago were allowed in.

It could help to inspect the machine personally than from just outside sources when it was also in the building in the first place. Momoki turned around to find Wakashika trying to tell Akihito something about the cockpit.

“Narihisago-san, why isn’t there a name on the monitor sometimes?” he asked, pointing at the screen in front of him as he was seated on the cockpit chair, “Does the Mizuhanome always know whose well it is or is it kept vague?”

“That’s a good question,” Akihito answered, looking at the monitor from his side of the cockpit as he leaned forward to check the screen, “We don’t always know the wells we get, but some of them do have names on them.”

“Like does the well say Sonoda Hitoshi or the Face Lifter?” Wakashika muttered, trying to be specific with his question, “Guess if you don’t know their names, their naming could end up being blank. We only know whose well it is due to other outside information with the police.”

Momoki continued to look at the two of them, still talking. They seemed to be ignoring him, despite just being caught in the room. He looked down in dismay, unsure of what to ask.

_Should I ask them about the story now? It seems too sudden for me to ask, and I just caught them in the cockpit room together. We’re going to have our case briefing soon, so I’m going to get called to the Chief’s office any moment now…_

“Narihisago-san, are you touching your neck again? Is it itchy there or something?”

Akihito looked back at his hand. He had been cupping his hand around his neck a few times while talking with Wakashika. Ever since that dream, he felt a sting from that neck slash. It felt too real to just be a dream.

“I’m fine, Wakashika-san,” Akihito muttered back, trying to sound normal, “There’s nothing wrong with me. Do you have any more questions before we get our mission briefing? I’ll have to dive soon.”

Wakashika closed his eyes before he thought of anything. He looked around the room before he remembered something.

“Oh, Narihisago-san,” he said as he talked with Akihito again, “Weren’t you going to ask Momoki-san about how large the cockpit room is? It looks like it can fit more than one cockpit inside. Maybe two or three more…”

Momoki was surprised by the sudden question, but he was too distracted to ask them about the Chief’s Man of Many Faces story and their own versions of the ending. He might have to ask them after the case was over.

“Momoki-san, are you going to let us stay here or not?” Wakashika said, confused by his reaction, “You would have kicked me out of the cockpit room by now. Is something on your mind?”

“I-It’s nothing,” Momoki answered back, looking at them sternly, “I’d like to ask you some questions after the case…”

After a few minutes of silence, Wakashika broke it so that he could leave the room and not try to delay their mission briefings for the new case. While still sitting in the cockpit, he tried to get up, only to get hit by the top monitor.

Bonk.

“Ouch! I forgot that it was there,” he cried out as he rubbed his head, “I guess I underestimated how low the monitors can get.”

“Are you okay?” Akihito asked, as he adjusted the screens, “I guess I didn’t notice it much myself due to all the testing, so I got used to it.”

Wakashika then got out of the cockpit and slowly walked out of the room. But before he left to go back to the Wellside Room, he gave Akihito some encouragement for some friendly competition as detectives for the upcoming case.

“Since you’re the detective of the id well, I’ll be the detective of Kura,” Wakashika said as he went out the room, “Let’s see which one of us gets the most clues and solves the case first…”

Afterwards, Momoki and Akihito had another awkward silence. Akihito thought that he was in trouble for showing Wakashika the cockpit room, but Momoki had other matters to worry about.

There was still the mystery of the cause of the Face Lifter’s death, and in the Chief’s story. But right before they had more time to investigate, they were given a new case. He also had no proof or evidence against the Chief, so there wasn’t much that he could do. For now, it was best to ask questions and investigate on the side.

“Sorry about all the trouble, Momoki,” Akihito exclaimed, “We weren’t able to talk these past few days, so I don’t know what’s wrong. The Face Lifter interrogation probably took a toll on you…”

Momoki looked back at Akihito and sulked for a bit.

_Should I tell him about the truth about being a Pilot? I really don’t know…_

“N-Narihisago…”

But before Momoki could say anymore, there was an announcement for him and the field analysts to come to the Chief’s office for the case briefing.

“DIRECTOR MOMOKI, PLEASE COME TO THE CHIEF’S OFFICE TO GET THE MISSION BRIEFING FOR THE NEW CASE AND THE KURA STAFF.”

“Looks like the announcement is asking for you, Momoki,” Akihito said, “Maybe we can talk after the case. Let’s not fail our first official case.”

“…Alright, Narihisago. I’ll still check up on you and give you information on the new case later.”

And then Momoki went to the Chief’s office to get his mission briefing before their case began.

“Welcome to the mission briefing, Momoki-san,” the Chief said, as he organized some papers at his front desk, “The field analyst leader Matsuoka-san is also here with us today to know their positions on catching the serial killer as well.”

Momoki and Matsuoka were standing near his desk, waiting to get news on the official case that they were getting. The Chief gave each of them some papers and documents on their next mission.

The Brander. A serial killer known to brand his victims after slitting their throats.

“There seems to be a commotion in Tokyo about his appearance lately. The Brander has been spotted on many security cameras near the victim’s homes as well as schools. He seems to target a mix of male and female victims, so we’re not sure if they’re random or not. You two are to check from the latest victim’s location and inspect the areas around there.”

The Chief then gave Momoki and Matsuoka different documents based on their positions for the case.

“Matsuoka-san, you and the field analyst team will patrol the nearby areas near the victim’s location while looking for clues that could help lead us to capture him. There are a few police teams for us to use to estimate his location.”

The Chief then looked at Momoki for his mission briefing.

“Momoki-san, we have managed to find an id well from the Wakamusubi from the latest victim’s location. This is the 6th victim, so let’s hope we don’t have another death during the investigation. From what we find, let’s see if it can help us in finding where the Brander is hiding.”

After the Chief finished discussing and preparing the other documents for the other Kura staff members, Momoki and Matsuoka went their separate ways for the Brander case. Hondomachi was waiting for Matsuoka to come out from the Chief’s office before they departed to find their next serial killer.

But before Matsuoka left the Kura building to help with the investigation that was going on in real time, he gave Momoki some encouragement, seeing that he had failed the Face Lifter interrogation not too long ago.

“Momoki-san, let’s do well on this case,” Matsuoka said as he patted Momoki on the shoulder before they went their separate ways, “Don’t let the Face Lifter failure get to you. There’s still much more we need to learn from other sources.”

“Thank you, Matsuoka-san,” Momoki muttered back as he spotted Hondomachi, “Oh and Hondomachi, please take care of Matsuoka-san. Sometimes drastic situations call for drastic measures…”

Matsuoka glared at him before laughing it off. The Brander case would be split into two teams that would be communicating with each other based on information that they was found at the scene, clues to the next potential murder and clues found from the id well.

Momoki was the leader of the Kura team as they would be investigating the Brander’s id well with Akihito as the Pilot. Matsuoka was the leader of the outside investigation and were the field analysts that were given clues based on the previous murder on how to capture the Brander since his escape.

“Is everyone ready?”

Momoki was inside the Wellside Room, with all preparations set up for the Brander case and his id well investigation. They would be getting outside information from Matsuoka’s team in real time while they tried to help each other in capturing him.

Everyone from the main Kura staff nodded, as they were already in position for their duties. Momoki sighed and hoped for the best for Akihito, hoping that nothing would go wrong like before. He still had many things to investigate, but they were dealing with a new official case this time. There was no time to look over old cases right now.

_I’ll have to try to ask everyone after this case is over. Hope it doesn’t end in a disaster like the Face Lifter case. There’s still so much we need to learn about the man…_

“Narihisago, are you ready? This will be your first official well dive for Kura. Get as many clues as you can inside the Brander’s id well. And try not to die so much…”

Akihito’s voice got muffled through the communication system. After the signal re-connected again, he answered Momoki’s question.

“I’m ready, Momoki. We can start the dive at any moment now.”

Momoki let out a sigh of relief and looked at everyone in the Wellside Room.

Wakashika. Togo. Habutae. Shiratake. Kokufu.

“INJECTING SAKAIDO.”

.

..

…

….

Sakaido opened his eyes and found himself with a group of people around him. They were all grouped together in some area that was filled with grass and manure. They were surrounded by grass walls as high as a building. He covered his nose at the stench nearby.

“What’s going on here? Who am I?”

He looked around and found himself next to a dead girl. Her name was Kaeru. Sakaido immediately remembered who he was. Afterwards, he looked over her body for clues and to find anything that could have caused her death.

“What’s this around her neck? It looks like her throat got slit.”

He noticed a very thin line along her neck, as if she were sliced there. The blood looked dried up, as if the death had happened many hours before he woke up. Her neck had definitely been sliced by something. He then noticed a purplish mark on her back, which showed a small blood pool under the skin going to that certain location.

It looked like a mark that had been branded into her after death. It was shaped like a small dot.

“I wonder what this means. What does this mark stand for?”

He then noticed a few piles of grass around her that were barren.

_Too much iron could affect the pH of grass. What weapon could leave an iron residue?_

Sakaido looked around to find a group of people surrounding him. They were panicking about being stuck here, with a few trying to escape to no avail. A man near Sakaido seemed to be scratching in a specific area, as if he just got burnt by something.

“I’ll check up on you after I ask that man, Kaeru-chan,” he muttered, while gently putting her body on the ground, “I need to ask these people some questions and get them some help.”

The man was still scratching himself when Sakaido approached him. He looked more like he was clawing his skin the more he tried to relieve himself.

“No! Don’t do that! You will just keep hurting yourself!” Sakaido said, grabbing the man by the arm, “Tell me where it hurts.”

The man pointed towards his left arm, which had turned red from all the scratching. Sakaido slowly took off bits and pieces of torn clothes that the man had managed to rip through to see where the pain was coming from.

There was a mark on his arm, which looked like a circle that was not filled in. It looked like someone had branded something into his skin. The man was crying from the pain, unsure of what to do.

“This is strange,” Sakaido said as he inspected the arm again, “How did these marks suddenly appear?”

And he turned around and noticed the other people were starting to scratch different parts of their body, as if something had burned into their skin. Sakaido felt uneasy about what was going on.

_I need to look at everybody’s marks in this place. They all seem to have the same reaction as that man did._

And Sakaido began to inspect everyone inside the well.

“Look up the information of the man that Sakaido talked to, Togo-san,” Momoki said, looking at the hologram that was in front of him, “We might get some insight on the Brander from those people there.”

“Yes, Momoki-san. The man’s name is Ryuu Hagisaki and he was the 5th victim from the Brander serial killings,” Togo answered, looking at the monitors nearby and checking up on information, “Seems like the place where he was scratching from is in the same place where the corpse was found with the branded mark.”

“Interesting. Let’s observe Sakaido while we wait for more information from the field analyst team,” Momoki replied back, “We would need some information at the crime scene to connect the well evidence together and give us a hint on where the Brander’s next possible target is.”

Matsuoka and Hondomachi arrived at the latest crime scene from the Brander not long after leaving the Kura Building. Their team had been split again so that half of them would patrol the nearby area while the others went in to check the crime scene for more clues that could lead to where he was hiding.

“The 6th victim is Tsubaki Hara,” Hondomachi said, reading some of the documents they had received about the case, “She was found dead a few weeks ago with a slit throat by some sort of weapon. Her body was found with a mark over her right thigh, which was clearly visible by the clothes she was wearing.”

Matsuoka looked over the corpse line that was inside the apartment unit. There were bits of residue around the area near it. He put on his gloves and went over to get a sample of it.

“Get the police team to inspect this substance, Hondomachi-san,” he muttered, handing her a bag, “Looks like we would need to re-examine this murder scene to get us a clue on where this serial killer is hiding, or looking for his next target.”

Hondomachi quickly took the sample bag and went outside to give it to one of their team’s substance analyzers. Matsuoka looked over the whole apartment unit to look for anything that could be used.

“Momoki-san, give us some time to get information,” Matsuoka said, calling through a radio device, “We need to get more samples taken from the crime scene to estimate where the Brander is headed.”

“Roger, Matsuoka-san. Let’s just hope that he hasn’t targeted anyone yet…”

Sakaido finished inspecting the people inside the well, checking for their marks. They all seemed to be different from each other, apart from their different locations around their bodies. He took a break by resting on one of the grass walls that was lower than the others, but also had a better view from the top to count the number of people around him apart from Kaeru.

There were six people apart from him and Kaeru.

“If even Kaeru-chan has a mark on her, is it possible that I have one too? All the other people I inspected had a mark on them…I wonder what that means.”

He tried to inspect himself, but he figured that he wouldn’t be able to check his back. He would need something to reflect on so that he could check if he had anything on him. As he looked around for anything, the well started to shake and change its form.

The grass walls were rearranging itself and forming into many different routes and paths. Everyone inside the well was screaming from the movement, while Sakaido was clinging to the grass wall by gripping on its roots.

The well then suddenly stopped moving, revealing a maze. There were many different paths that led to dead ends, with some monsters guarding some areas. The people seem to be panicking over the sudden changes and some tried to escape.

“What just happened? Does this maze lead somewhere?”

Sakaido climbed up one of the grass walls again to check his surroundings. There were a few warehouses around the area, with an end goal in sight. It seemed far away from where he was standing. Squinting his eyes, he saw someone at the end goal. The person seemed to be waving and calling for help.

“I need to go check what’s going on over there, but there’s also a lot of dangerous obstacles here. I need to be careful…”

But before Sakaido went into the maze, one of the people yelled at him to come back, fearing for his safety. He grabbed one of his arms and tried to persuade him to stop.

“Don’t go over there! You would get slaughtered by those monsters if you’re not careful!”

“It will be fine,” Sakaido muttered back, trying to free himself from the man’s grasp, “I’m a Brilliant Detective. I can handle it.”

The man seemed scared, but he let go of Sakaido’s arm. But then he whispered into his ear about a possible path to get to the end of the maze using the warehouses around the area as stopping points. Sakaido was already interested in checking out the warehouses, so this was an excellent idea.

“Thank you for the advice. I’ll consider it.”

_Is it possible that the warehouses have any tools and weapons to protect myself from those monsters? There could be something I could use to check myself for any possible mark._

And then Sakaido went into the maze, prepared for the dangers surrounding him.

“The id well has turned into a maze, Momoki-san,” Togo said, observing the monitors, “From everyone that Sakaido has talked with, they were all the past victims of the Brander, matching their mark to where the corpse mark was found.”

“Interesting,” Momoki muttered back, looking at the newly adjusted id well, “Examine all the warehouses around the maze. We can’t see the end goal from here, so we’ll have to wait for Sakaido to reach it.”

“Momoki-san, those monsters look strange,” Wakashika exclaimed, “They seem to resemble those farming tractors that people use for agriculture. Do you think the brands of the farming tractors and brands that the Brander use are related to animal branding?”

“Animal branding?” Momoki said, putting his hand to his chin, “Habutae-san, how deep were the marks from the corpses? How were they branded that left a clear visible mark on their body?”

“From the photos that we had gotten, the marks look a bit uneven due to a heating component,” Habutae answered, “It seems likely that the killer could have branded his victims after they were killed. There is a slight purple decompression from where the mark was made. There were no signs of healing around the areas that were branded.”

“The way the marks were made also shows clean precision,” Shiratake said, adjusting his glasses, “The Brander is no slouch, and isn’t sloppy. His way of killing is clean, and his marks look professional. This man seems experienced in whatever he is doing.”

“Then could the marks be related to marking animals?” Wakashika muttered, “There must be a reason why every single victim has a completely different mark instead of all of them being the same.”

“Probably a form of tracking his victims,” Togo said, thinking to herself, “Momoki-san, are you checking up on Matsuoka-san? How is the investigation going over there?”

“Not sure,” Momoki said, trying to call through the Wellside Room system, “I’m giving him some clues that we had gotten from the well so far and our own deductions. It could be worth something.”

Hondomachi came into the apartment unit again to give Matsuoka the data from the substance he found. The other members of the team were trying to look for any possible recordings that could be inside the house. So far, there wasn't much to look for, due to a police investigation that had examined the place beforehand.

“Matsuoka-san, the substance that you found near the corpse line was an iron residue,” Hondomachi said, giving him the results from the test, “How did it get so close to the corpse?”

“I’m not sure, Hondomachi-san,” Matsuoka answered back, looking at the results, “The iron residue did match where the brand was found near the body. Was there any security footage around the area?”

Hondomachi quickly took out a few more papers and some photographs. There wasn’t much that they could find. They could find the ones near the apartment building, but the victim herself hadn't seemed to have installed any security cameras inside her home.

“We’ll make do. Let’s check the footage that we _do_ have.”

They went to another building near the crime scene to play the copy of the security footage that they received nearby. It showed a man coming to the door of the victim, carrying something. It looked like a guitar case that he was carrying. He wasn’t knocking on the door but checking through the peephole if anyone was there. Then he scrambled through his pocket to take out a key, followed by a click as he went inside.

A couple hours later, he came outside and left.

There wasn’t much else left from the footage.

“Not even a scream,” Matsuoka muttered, “Does the Brander know these people?”

“She was only found due to being a popular local school teacher from a nearby high school and didn’t come to school during an important event. I wonder if she had some relationship with the killer…”

After a while, Matsuoka received some information from Kura. There could be some clues in the small kitchen. Hondomachi immediately put on her gloves and went to inspect the stove counter.

“The gas stove looks worn down,” Hondomachi said as she looked over the dials, “There’s still no fingerprints that we can find on here. He probably used gloves to hide his fingerprints.”

“Hondomachi-san, check for any iron residue in the kitchen. Based on the information we got from Kura, it’s possible that he used the stove to heat up his branding tool after he killed his victims. It would explain the slight uneven marks on the victim’s bodies.”

“Then that means the guitar case could be hiding his weapons,” Hondomachi exclaimed back, while collecting some samples nearby, “It won’t seem suspicious to be carrying a case into a home. People could be mistaking him for being a musician or someone who plays music as a hobby.”

“Excellent. We could be getting somewhere,” Matsuoka said, looking over the possible deductions and clues that seemed to match up, “This could help us track him to see where he is hiding or looking for another target…let’s give some intel back to Kura.”

Sakaido dragged himself into a warehouse, one of the stopping points towards the end goal inside the maze. He was holding onto his shoulder, which had gotten injured from dealing with the monster tractors that tried to run him over. Thankfully, the advice that the man had told him turned out to be right.

“I hope there’s some medical supplies here. Otherwise, I’ll have to make do with what this place has…”

He opened the warehouse door, praying for no more horrible surprises. He didn’t want to get killed just when he had reached a temporary haven inside this dangerous environment.

Inside, it looked wide, yet sparsely filled. There weren't many objects inside the warehouse, except for a couple of farming tools on the walls of the warehouse. There were a couple objects hidden around the corners of the building, as if waiting to be found. But the lighting wasn’t that great, with only partial lighting coming from the maze environment.

“Let’s see if I can find something to deal with this injury first,” Sakaido said as he adjusted his eyes to the partially lit warehouse, “I seriously need something to protect myself from those tractors and look for more clues about this place.”

He went towards some of the drawers that were scattered on one side of the warehouse, looking for any clean clothes or alcohol to help with his wound. Unfortunately, there was barely anything inside the drawers.

Only a few dirty rags and some half-filled bottles of a clear liquid. It was marked in an unfamiliar language.

Sakaido took one of the half-filled bottles and sniffed it. It reeked of alcohol and had a strong licorice smell. It was definitely not sake, but it clearly had a high alcohol content. It could be used to sterilize his wound.

“Better than nothing. Guess I can rip out a part of my scarf to have something to cover this injury. I’ll have to take a risk if it does anything to me.”

After Sakaido bandaged his wound, he began to explore the warehouse. In the corner, there was an odd item that seemed out of place. Although there were a few random items here and there, this item looked cursed.

It looked like a worn-down guitar case, blackened by dust and decay.

Sakaido felt uneasy looking at it, feeling a need to get something to protect himself with. He looked around and found a dirty machete not too far from him. He raised his machete in position as his curiosity got the better of him, wanting to see what was inside the case.

“What’s inside this case? Would this help me or hinder me?”

He tried to poke the guitar case, but it didn’t budge. After taking a deep breath, Sakaido slowly opened the case, expecting the worst. He was holding up his machete in case there was something hiding in there.

It revealed to be a few long iron thin bars with strange symbols on them. It looked worn and used, as if it had been used many times before being locked away. Sakaido looked closer upon the items and tried to inspect them.

“This looks like something used for branding animals. But I don’t know what these symbols mean…”

But then he remembered inspecting everybody’s marks on their bodies before he left to go into the maze. They did look vaguely familiar. It was because he had seen them before.

“They look like the same marks that I saw while inspecting everyone…”

“Momoki-san, doesn’t that guitar case look familiar?” Wakashika said as he pointed out the similarities between the case shown in the well monitors and the footage that Matsuoka sent, “It could show us what is possibly the Brander’s weapons.”

Momoki looked up from the hologram to check the monitors again. So far, Sakaido had managed to open the guitar case, without setting off any traps or anything dangerous. The objects looked like branding tools, but there wasn’t anything else inside.

“The branding tools are very rudimentary, despite looking professional,” Momoki said, looking at how uneven the burn marks were, “Japan doesn’t brand its animals, so it could either be someone from another country living here that used to be a farmer or someone who learned to brand animals from other people.”

“But doesn’t Japan brand its mascots in food?” Wakashika muttered back, “Maybe it’s a trend related to human branding. It works similar to tattoos…”

The rest of the Kura main staff looked back at him, in shock. Tattoos already had a negative stigma for the public, due to its connections to the yakuza. They didn’t want to believe that the yakuza could be involved. It seemed too out of left field.

“L-Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, Wakashika-san,” Togo said, looking back at him sternly, “We shouldn’t jump too far from what we have so far.”

“You’re right. Sorry about that,” Wakashika answered back, scratching his head, “Guess we would still need to find more clues that can lead us to a better result than jumping to conclusions…”

They looked back on the monitors to find something strange going on with the guitar case. It started to emit some sort of black smoke. Something clearly wasn’t right. Sakaido was in danger.

“This isn’t looking good,” Momoki muttered under his breath, “Don’t die on us now…”

Sakaido suddenly felt a strange presence coming from the guitar case. Small puffs of black smoke started to pour out of it, making the warehouse murkier and darker. He was still holding on to the branding tools that he took out of the case, which made him believe that the being might want them back.

“I knew something was up with this guitar case,” Sakaido said as he positioned his machete in front of the case again, “Why did I open it? But this item looks too out of place for farming equipment…”

Little by little, something started to form out of the smoke. Inside the already dimly lit warehouse, it made the figure appear invisible. All Sakaido could see was a shining gleam of a weapon forming around its hands.

It looked like a scythe. A giant scythe. A Grim Reaper-like figure appeared, with a large smoky hood covering its face.

_Not good, not good. I should not have done that._

The cloaked being started to swing its scythe at Sakaido, almost knocking out his machete. Its movements were swift and steady as it flew around the warehouse, trying to kill him. After a few knockbacks, Sakaido decided to head back to the maze, taking some of the farming tools that were laid out in the corner near the entrance.

“I have to get out of here. I haven’t even reached the end goal yet…”

But before Sakaido could move, the figure quickly sliced at his scarf, cutting it into many pieces. The only remnant of his scarf left was from a piece of it that was used to treat his wound. His black undershirt started to show underneath his clothes.

His clothes would get sliced apart if he stayed here for too long.

Quickly grabbing a few of the farming tools on his way out, Sakaido ran out of the warehouse into the brightly lit maze environment. A few monster tractors were around the area, looking for people to run over. The creepy figure was nowhere to be found.

“Maybe I can use those tractors to help me reach the end goal faster…I don’t know if that thing disappeared or not…I can’t take any chances…”

The main Kura staff was observing the id well when one of them noticed something on Sakaido’s back. It looked like a mark, similar to the others inside the well. It had been covered up by his clothes all this time.

“The mark looks like an upside down V,” Momoki said, checking screenshots of the other people’s marks they had gotten from inside the well, “It doesn’t look like any of the other’s marks either.”

“I mean, even Kaeru-san has gotten a mark on her right?” Habutae said, showing an image of Kaeru’s back being shown with a mark on her corpse, “It could just probably just be part of the well’s features…”

“I don’t know,” Wakashika said, putting his hand to his chin, “We’re still not sure if John Walker is part of the Mizuhanome’s features either. He didn’t show up in most of the wells that Narihisago-san was tested in so there’s that.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, Wakashika-san,” Habutae muttered back, “Let’s see if Sakaido can figure out who that strange being is first. He looks like the Grim Reaper.”

“Scared of it, Habutae-san?” Shiratake said, grinning at him, “You don’t have to admit it.”

“Focus!” Momoki shouted at them, clenching his fists, “Sakaido could die at any moment now. That strange figure could definitely attack him again. Be prepared to get as much information as you can!”

And the main Kura staff stayed quiet for a while, going back to watching their monitors again.

Sakaido climbed up on the grass walls again, using his farming tools to make his climbing easier. Looking around, he spotted a monster tractor nearby. It was going in the direction of the end goal, so he could jump from a few grass walls to get there.

_I’m not too far from the end goal. I hope I can make it._

After a couple of deep breaths, Sakaido sprinted on the grass walls, trying to catch a monster tractor that was heading towards his destination. Taking a rake, he positioned himself to throw it while using bits of the damaged scarf that he had managed to grab while running.

“HERE GOES!”

He jumped and landed on top of the monster tractor, barely holding on to it. The tractor seemed to not notice him right away, but it did try to shake him off. Using the rake as a bit of a lever, he tried to control the monster to navigate around the maze.

_This is harder than I expected. I hope this will work. The grass walls weren’t that hard to climb, but going through them is going to be a hassle…_

Sakaido continued to control the monster as best as he could, but it kept trying to shake him off. Focusing on the path and speeding away from the other tractors inside the maze, he needed to concentrate.

The end goal was in sight, with the person that looked to be waving near it. There seemed to be a slightly blurred out building near the end goal as well.

“Almost there, come on…”

He tried to concentrate but was suddenly hampered by some black smoke. The figure was on top of the monster tractor and was trying to help it kick him off. Holding onto the rake that he used as a lever, Sakaido fought with the hooded figure.

After a while, he noticed that the cloak could be removed, due to bits and pieces of it flying around after he fought with it with his machete. The being tried to hold onto its cloak when he tried to attack it a few times.

_Let’s see if I can remove that cloak and see its face. This thing’s weakness could be the light intensity inside this maze._

Grabbing onto the figure’s cloak while he positioned himself on the monster tractor, Sakaido jumped at its scythe handle. It distracted the being for a bit, so he quickly jumped off and landed back on the tractor’s back.

“Let’s see who you really are…”

In one fell swoop, it revealed a man with a top hat and a cane hiding underneath the ghostly cloak and black smoke. The man’s face was blurred, so Sakaido wasn’t able to see anything past its top hat.

The Kura staff stared blankly at the screen, unable to say a word.

John Walker was back.

He had been inside the Brander’s well all along.

He had been masquerading as the hooded figure to hide his identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I wanted to finish an ID Invaded one shot that had been slowing me down for a month.  
> After so long, we are back to having case chapters again! :D Since Arc 2 has the most cases than the other arcs, there would be plenty more for a while.  
> Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> Beta and Edit by Ayden


	13. The Brander (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 2 OF THE FIRST FULL ORIGINAL CASE
> 
> 4TH CASE: THE BRANDER

File 13: The Brander (Part 2)

John Walker.

The man with a top hat and a cane.

Sakaido continued to hold on to the rake to control the monster tractor, trying to keep his balance. John Walker stood on top of the tractor, unfazed by its speed. His scythe was still intact, made more visible by the lack of his cloak.

“Who are you?”

 _That's_ _strange. I have never seen him before, yet he looks so familiar._

Sakaido felt confused. He didn't remember anything about himself, yet this man seemed dangerous. He tried to concentrate on controlling the machine with the man blocking his view. After a while, John Walker vanished into black smoke.

_Where did he go?_

He looked around but saw nothing around him. Suddenly, the tractor started to crackle with sparks and violently shake. The man had swiftly broken the tractor’s engine and oil reserves, causing the monster to swivel in circles around the maze.

_Did he just break the tractor with his scythe?!_

Sakaido looked up ahead. He was going to crash into the person near the end goal post if he couldn’t control the tractor in time. He could see the person near the end goal more clearly now, she looked like someone from middle school. He could see a vague resemblance of a sailor school uniform from a distance.

“I can’t hit her with this monster tractor, I’ll have to brake this thing swiftly and get out of the way before it explodes from the oil…”

He continued to maneuver the tractor towards a nearby grass wall. The engine started to burst into flames, making it dangerous to navigate. He would have to get off of the tractor and jump from the sidelines.

Boom.

He quickly held on to a nearby grass wall as he jumped off, seeing the tractor crash and burn on some of the walls. The explosion threw him off the grass wall and he landed on the ground. The girl shrieked from Sakaido lying on the ground, wounded from the blast.

“At least I made it to the end goal,” Sakaido muttered, out of breath, “I need to see if the girl is alright…”

He slowly got up from the ground, trying not to injure himself even more. He looked up to see the girl mildly frightened by his entrance, but also curious. After shaking off the dust and debris from himself, Sakaido went towards the girl.

“I’m sorry that I took so long. I came here to save you from this dangerous place.”

The main Kura staff watched the monitors, checking the girl’s facial features. She resembled someone familiar.

“Muku Narihisago,” Momoki said, still in shock, “What is she doing inside the well?”

She was dressed in a public middle school uniform, with a simple sailor design. The sailor uniform was black, with white stripes and a red ribbon tied around her front like a neckerchief.

“Her appearance looks younger than her current age,” Togo muttered, comparing her appearance in the well to her real-life counterpart, “She is dressed like someone from middle school.”

“That means that the Brander only has a younger image of her based off of somewhere,” Wakashika said, “Probably from a photograph or a video recording.”

“That’s strange,” Shiratake muttered, checking the monitors again, “But based on the semi-blurred out imagery of the school, it looks like a high school, not a middle school.”

“I think we’re getting somewhere,” Momoki answered back, “Keep observing.”

And the Kura staff went back to check up on what was going on inside the well, hoping that Sakaido would give them a better visual on the building in the background.

Sakaido approached the girl and felt a sense of calm and familiarity towards her. Even though he didn't remember anything about her, she was something that he felt that he needed to protect no matter what. He gently touched her shoulder and tried to reassure her.

“Are you okay? Everything will be fine. I’ll protect you.”

The girl nodded and held onto Sakaido’s worn down coat. Sakaido smiled a bit and tried to keep her calm as he tried to figure out where he was. He was at the end goal, but the building that he had seen near her was nowhere to be found.

The end goal near the building was blocked by some kind of opaque glass panel, which made it seem blurry and hard to see.

_So that is what is making the building nearby seem so blurry…_

Sakaido touched the glass panel and tried to find an opening so that he could catch a better glimpse of the building nearby. The girl was following behind him, curious about what he was doing.

“Trying to see if there is a way to see the building nearby. It’s being blocked by some sort of glass so I can’t see it clearly…”

The girl then touched the glass as well.

“I can help you with that.”

In an instant, the glass broke into pieces, sending some shards into the void in between the end goal and the building. A dark void emerged at the ends of the end goal, with the building in clear view.

It was a Japanese high school.

“Momoki-san, the building is in clear view now,” Togo said, checking the monitors, “Based on our close ups, the school’s name is Matsugaya Junior High School. Looks like Narihisago’s daughter goes there. She’s a first-year high school student.”

“How far are Matsuoka-san and Hondomachi-san from the school?” Momoki asked, a bit worried, “They’re at the crime scene location of the 6th murder, so I don’t know how fast they can get there.”

“We can call the school as well,” Habutae suggested, “Giving them a heads up could work in our favor and give us a chance to ambush him.”

“It is also likely that the Brander could have infiltrated the school already,” Shiratake said, tilting his glasses, “Despite many warnings around the school districts, there seems to have been no suspicious reports about a strange man in the area.”

“Based on the Brander’s killing record, he kills on Wednesdays,” Wakashika said, checking some information, “Today is October 17, 2018. It is a Wednesday. It’s possible that he is making his move on the 7th target.”

“Should we eject Sakaido, Momoki-san?” Togo asked, thinking that his mission was over, “Is there anything else that we’re missing?”

“Let’s keep watching,” Momoki answered back, “John Walker hasn’t done anything towards Sakaido and Muku-chan yet. Something feels off about that girl…”

_Did she just do that? That’s impressive._

Sakaido saw the glass slowly break apart in front of them, revealing a black void in between them and the building. There was no way to cross it, as they could fall into the void.

“Thank you for your help. How did you know how to do it?”

The girl then pointed towards something near her. Sakaido couldn’t see it as he noticed small clumps of black smoke floating around them. It started to form around them, leaving them surrounded near the end goal.

_This black smoke…is he back again?!_

The smoke started to approach the girl, but Sakaido jumped to get her out of harm’s way. John Walker appeared before them, now with his cloak back on and holding a scythe. He had tried to slash her from behind.

“I don’t have anything on me. I need something to use as a makeshift weapon…”

Sakaido looked around him for anything to use. There was still the destroyed monster tractor nearby, with parts flown all over the place. Holding the girl’s hand, he dragged her along so that she wouldn't be alone and have to face the strange man by herself.

“Was he the one that told you to do that?” Sakaido asked, a bit wary, “You were waving and calling for help before I came here.”

The girl nodded. Then she held out one of her hands. It had a mark.

It was shaped like a V.

_So, she also has a mark. But why is she separated from the others from the maze?_

Sakaido then saw a car pipe on the ground. It seemed to have been singed from the tractor explosion, but it was still useful as a protective measure. He quickly went towards it and grabbed it. The metal had cooled down since the explosion, so he was able to hold it.

“This will have to do. Better than nothing…”

And he held onto the weapon, to protect the girl beside him.

“They found the Brander’s next target?” Matsuoka asked, shaking his head, “Did the clues we got from the crime scene help?”

Hondomachi took some notes from the images that they had received from Momoki back at Kura. It showed a high school clearly in the distance after Sakaido had managed to reach the end goal of the maze. The girl shown next to him was Muku, Narihisago’s daughter.

“The next location is Matsugaya Junior High School,” she said, checking the map, “From where we are, we should be able to make it. We’re not that far from that district.”

“But we still need a plan about the Brander’s possible movements,” Matsuoka muttered back, “We can’t let him know that the police knows his next location.”

“So, what about his weapon?” Hondomachi asked, “Did they manage to figure out what kind of weapon that the Brander used to kill his victims?”

“It appears so. The guitar case was also found inside the id well, and it seemed to have contained some branding tools that contained the same marks as the victims. The being that came out of the case was carrying a scythe…”

“A scythe?” Hondomachi said, putting a hand to her chin, “It does seem possible with the size of the guitar case. It is possible that a large scythe was not used to kill, but a smaller one. The ones that were used in farming and agriculture.”

“Good point. But first things first. We need a plan to find and ambush the Brander in the school before he harms anyone.”

Sakaido looked around, making sure that John Walker wouldn't ambush them. The girl was beside him, unsure of what to do. He carried the pipe around to make sure they were protected as they walked towards the end goal again.

“Did the man say anything to you? Did he harm you in any way?”

But the girl just shook her head and just pointed at the end goal.

She didn’t say anything.

He felt protective towards the girl and didn’t want to cause her any harm. The black smoke kept popping in and out, trying to distract them. John Walker was lurking nearby.

“Where did he go?”

After a moment of silence, John Walker suddenly appeared and flung the pipe out of Sakaido’s hands. The pipe fell into the black void near the end goal. He was defenseless again.

_Not good. But I’ll still protect this girl…_

Sakaido stood in front of the girl, with his arms wide open. They were near the end goal post, so there was a potential risk of falling into the black void below them. John Walker came closer and closer, with his scythe at hand.

It looked like he was going to slice them apart.

_Guess I’ll have to make do with my fighting skills. But I’m injured…_

He tried to position himself to be able to defend them from John Walker, but his body ached from his wounds. His bandaged shoulder limited his arm movement and the monster tractor explosion that he barely escaped from had left some burns on his body.

But just as he expected a fight, John Walker stopped moving and just stood there.

The girl suddenly cried out in pain. It was coming from her marked hand.

“Ah! It hurts! Stop this!”

Sakaido turned around to find the girl struggling from her pain on her hand. It looked like the same reaction that the other people on the other end of the maze had with their marks.

_What’s going on? Why did it just affect her now?_

But then he felt something painful on his neck. The stinging sensation of needles and hot iron was burning into his skin, as if he had been marked. Now that his scarf was gone, he felt the pain more visibly now with the air affecting his neck. He tried to bare the pain, but soon felt like he was being burned to a crisp.

After a couple moments, Sakaido and the girl fell to the ground from the sheer pain. John Walker just stood there, waiting for a moment to use his scythe again. His blurred face glared into the two of them, both trapped near the end goal, with the black void separating them from the nearby school building.

_Is this how I will die? I can’t move. The pain is unbearable._

John Walker edged closer and closer towards them, with his scythe ready to slice their necks. Sakaido finally understood why the other people were trying to claw out the pain. He was feeling their pain now.

He had been marked after all.

….

…

..

.

“EJECT SAKAIDO NOW!”

Akihito came to from his cockpit chair, dazed from the Brander’s well. Momoki had rushed in to check if he was alright. He was shaking him to make sure that he was still responsive. After a while, Akihito snapped out of it and stopped Momoki from shaking his shoulders some more.

“M-Momoki, I’m fine. I just barely made it out alive.”

Momoki seemed concerned and worried for Akihito’s wellbeing.

John Walker from inside the well had activated something on their mark to cause them pain and suffering. They had to eject Akihito from the id well as soon as possible before he fainted from its effects.

“Narihisago, you’re touching your neck again. Is it still painful?”

Akihito found himself touching his neck, and quickly removed his hand. He looked around and tried to regain his composure. He closed his eyes in dismay, remembering that it felt the same as the one in his dream.

_Muku was inside the well. This just confirms it. My dreams could be connected to the cases regarding my family after all…even the pain felt real…_

“I’m fine, really. You don’t need to repeat yourself so much.”

Akihito then stood up and quickly walked out of the cockpit room.

“Narihisago, where are you going?”

Momoki tried to stop Akihito from leaving the Kura Building. Not much time had passed since the investigation had begun, so they still had time to plan on how to deal with the Brander’s next target and location.

But Akihito wanted to have none of it.

He wanted to face the Brander himself.

“Are you seriously planning on going to the school yourself?” Momoki asked, stopping him along the hallway, “Just because you find his location and next target doesn’t mean that you can find him. We need to plan so that Muku-chan will be safe and not give away our location.”

“But what does that entail?” Akihito exclaimed, “My daughter is in danger! I need to go to the school immediately!”

“Narihisago!” Momoki answered back, putting his hands on Akihito’s shoulders, “You can’t do that right now. The Brander would be able to notice us easily and escape again. He might be disguised as one of the school staff members, so we can’t just barge into a school environment like that. We could scare the students and teachers there.”

Akihito didn't say anything from Momoki’s remark. He felt impatient and frustrated with himself.

“There were no mentions of a suspicious man in weeks around the school districts, so it is likely that he is possibly one of the school staff or disguised as one. We need time to confirm anything, especially with the schools. Please be patient, Narihisago. I know that you’re worried…”

_Useless. Pointless. We have the information but are not allowed to act on it right away?!_

“Narihisago-san, Momoki-san is right. It is best to think things over before making a move. We only just discovered the Brander’s next location and target.”

The two of them turned around to find the Chief following behind them. He had been silently lurking around the hallways that led them back to the lobby of the Kura Building. Akihito felt embarrassed and guilty from being discovered by the Chief, so he didn’t say anything.

Momoki had been holding him back.

“Thank you for stopping him, Momoki-san. Maybe after lunch, we can discuss the Brander's preparations afterwards. There is no need to rush, Narihisago-san.”

Then, the Chief led them back to the Wellside Room together.

After lunch, the Kura staff held a meeting on their plans based off of the information from the Brander’s id well and the crime scene evidence from Matsuoka and Hondomachi.

Matsuoka’s team had been preparing their team to blend into Matsugaya Junior High School, in order to not cause alarm from the students and teachers. There was a risk involved, but they had to make sure to not blow their cover.

Momoki’s team had to figure out a reasonable strategy to outsmart the Brander based on the clues from the well and the evidence from the recent crime scene. Akihito was sulking a bit from the sidelines, with Wakashika trying to cheer him up.

“Narihisago-san, we’ve got your back,” Wakashika whispered, “Don’t get mad at him for that. Matsuoka-san and Hondomachi-san are going to save your daughter.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Akihito said back, feeling a little down, “Let’s come up with a plan quickly before it’s too late…”

Momoki had set up everything for the meeting, with Matsuoka on the line for their preparations on their end. They had to find a way to contact the school without alarming the students and teachers and give away their position on the Brander.

“The guitar case seems to be a vital clue in finding who is a possible suspect among the school staff,” Momoki said, showing everyone some screenshots, “It seems big enough to hold the branding tools and a scythe. But due to the use of only one mark per victim, it is likely that he would bring only one of them for his next target.”

“But how are we going to be able to suspect anyone based off of those?” Togo muttered, “There needs to be a quicker method in finding him before he kills someone…”

“Narihisago, how heavy were those iron bars from the guitar case?” Momoki asked, “Do you think it’s possible to carry them without looking suspicious?”

“They weren’t that heavy,” Akihito answered, putting his hand to his chin, “But the bottom of the metal rod felt heavier, so it could be hard to lift all at once. The symbols on the iron bars did look clean and precise despite looking worn down.”

“If the killer is experienced in creating them in the first place, won’t there be a certain physical evidence from doing all that metal work?” Wakashika said, “It requires a lot of strength to be able to do that kind of manual labor. There could be clues on someone trying to hide it.”

“Interesting,” Habutae muttered, “Since the latest victim was a schoolteacher, he could already have connections to the school districts, or have gotten help from someone related to them. It is likely that the Brander has accomplices.”

“Don’t we need the typical school schedule of the high school?” Shiratake said, “Narihisago-san, what time do classes end?”

Akihito shook his head and thought for a moment.

_Muku said that she had club activities today. So, she might stay in school much longer than usual. There would be less students during that time. That would be a perfect opportunity for the Brander to show up…_

“Normally, high school classes end by 15:30 (3:30pm). But it’s already afternoon. So, we don’t have much time left before the killer makes a move. Since Muku is having club activities today, she may still be in school after classes end.”

“Club activities?” Wakashika asked, “Do you know of any clubs that Muku goes to?”

_Club activities. Muku usually doesn’t say what she does sometimes, but the few times that she did show me…_

“I know that photography is one of them, but she might be doing something else,” Akihito answered back, unsure of himself, “What does this have to do with catching the killer?”

“You already know the reason, Narihisago-san,” Togo said, “She seems to be the next target inside the well. We’re doing this for her safety as well.”

“Sorry about all this, Narihisago,” Momoki muttered back, trying to keep Akihito calm, “This is just an unfortunate situation right now. Nothing has happened yet, so we still have a chance.”

_Yet? Anything can happen to Muku at this point._

But before Akihito could say anything, Kokufu came by to give a message to Momoki. He had been intercepting messages from Matsuoka’s team about a possible plan. He seemed to be in a hurry as he relayed the message to Momoki.

“That sounds risky, are you sure about that?” Momoki asked, “I understand that we don’t have much time, but is the school notified about us?”

“The school got notified from the police already,” Kokufu answered, checking his papers, “Looks like Matsuoka’s team is going through a more roundabout way of finding the killer.”

“And what sort of plan is it?” Momoki asked again, a bit more sternly.

The whole room suddenly went quiet, as Kokufu told Momoki and everyone else in the room what was going on from Matsuoka’s side.

An hour before Matsuoka’s team started their mission, Akihito sat alone in the corner of the lobby, frustrated with himself. Momoki had tried to calm him down from his panic over Muku’s safety, so he tried to check up on him every half an hour.

“Narihisago, I know that you’re worried,” Momoki muttered, bringing him some coffee cans from the vending machine, “But you are Kura’s only viable Pilot right now. It’s just too risky for you to go like this.”

Akihito sulked a bit before answering Momoki. He accepted a coffee can from his hands, opened it and took a sip.

“Momoki, you said one time about fate leading us to Kura,” Akihito said, looking down on the floor, “But will fate also keep Muku safe? The last few cases that involved my family, I could rush to the scene as soon as I could. But why am I stopped here? Why now?”

Momoki took a sip from his own coffee can.

“Can’t say much about that. It’s Kura’s protocol and we can’t disrupt Matsuoka’s team mission right now. We can only hope.”

“Do you think the plan will work?” Akihito asked, “How will the school deal with this?”

“I’m not sure. Matsuoka-san said that they still need to be careful, so they would have to go undercover,” Momoki muttered back, “You should get some rest, Narihisago. You’re probably tired from the dive.”

Akihito scratched his head in dismay. It felt strange not being able to do anything for once, but he still felt worried.

“Momoki, can I ask for one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Let me call Muku. At least she should know that she is in danger…”

Momoki didn’t say anything to that remark for a while, but he nodded quietly. He then touched Akihito’s shoulder.

“You can ask her about anyone suspicious inside the school as well. It could be vital in finding the Brander quickly.”

Akihito closed his eyes and touched Momoki’s arm that was holding onto his shoulder. He felt reassured despite his uneasy feelings about the case. Afterwards, he looked around Momoki to find no one beside them.

Where did everyone go?

“Momoki, where did everyone go?”

“They’re preparing communications with Matsuoka’s team and the police right now. It might take some time, but we will finish the preparations in time for the mission. Go call Muku-chan while you can, Narihisago…”

Akihito sighed. There was only an hour left before Muku’s classes ended. He could still call her and hoped that it didn’t disrupt her current class. It was probably homeroom by now.

_I’ll at least ask if she is okay. I’ll ask her some questions after that…_

So, he walked outside of the Kura Building and leaned on to the nearby wall. Then he took out his phone and called her. The connection went through and Muku’s voice was heard in the background, trying to get into a quieter spot to take the call.

“Dad? Did something happen? Why are you calling me at school?”

Muku sounded oblivious and unconcerned compared to her Dad’s wary distress call. Akihito tried to remain calm as he began to talk to her. He didn’t want to scare her from the possibility of another serial killer either.

“Muku, are you feeling alright? You’re not sick or anything?”

Muku sounded a bit annoyed by his question, but she answered it anyway.

“Dad, I’m fine. I already told you that I have club activities today, so I’ll come home late again. Homeroom is almost over, so I’ll need to grab my school supplies soon. Did anything happen?”

Akihito kept quiet for a moment before answering her question.

“M-Muku, has there been anything strange happening at your school? Like any unfamiliar person that has been around the school? Any rumors?”

Muku sounded muffled a bit from his remark. It might have sounded too sudden.

“Well, I don’t know. But I have heard about a teacher that keeps checking all the clubrooms every time class ends. People said that he looked like he was searching for something. I have never seen him though. It could all just be a rumor.”

_So that means that the Brander could be disguised as a teacher…_

“Was there anything else? It sounds important.”

“Dad, why are you asking about this kind of stuff? Is there something up with my school?”

_Wow. She got suspicious right away. Smart girl._

“I-It’s nothing, Muku. I’m just worried about your safety. Did you hear anything about what the teacher looked like from the other students?”

“I don’t know. They did mention that he carries a guitar case to the cooking classrooms sometimes. That’s all I got. Dad, you don’t sound like things are going well…”

Muku was right. Akihito tried his best to keep calm over the phone, but his heavy breathing distracted her. After noticing her remark, he quickly regained his composure and talked in a much calmer voice.

He couldn't scare her about the possibility of a serial killer at her school.

“Everything is going fine. I just called you because I was worried about you. Is Dad not allowed to ask from time to time?”

Muku snickered through the phone before answering his question.

“Fine, fine. Well, I’ll be off to go to club activities soon. I’ll get of—”

“Wait!”

Akihito reacted quickly to Muku trying to close the call. He needed to ask one more thing.

“Please, just stay in the club room. Don’t go outside the room too much.”

“…Okay. We’ll mostly be staying in our club room anyway. Hopefully that rumored teacher won’t reach us here.”

_He better not. She is his next target after all._

Then, Muku closed the call from her end. Akihito sighed and put his phone away. After a few moments of rest, he went back inside the Kura Building.

Muku’s school rumor could be good intel on finding the Brander after all.

“Is everything ready, Matsuoka-san? No issues on your end?”

Momoki communicated through the Kura speakers inside the Wellside Room with the rest of the Kura staff. Akihito was talking with Wakashika about the possible routes that the Brander could take through the school buildings.

“Momoki-san said that he gave the intel to Matsuoka-san already,” Wakashika muttered, gesturing to Akihito with Momoki on call not far from them, “That’s really good information. The school won’t talk about rumors like that because it can ruin their image. We had to convince them that their reputation won’t be on the line for their cooperation.”

“Do you think anyone could have helped the Brander blend into the school setting in the first place?” Akihito asked, thinking about the clues from the id well, “Most of the well had a very agricultural-like setting to it. Even the weapons and branding tools that were used in the crime scenes seemed to match the environment.”

“Since your daughter won’t tell you where her club room is, we can only speculate where she is,” Habutae said back, “The Brander seems to have gone through the club rooms many times but has yet to spot her.”

“…or maybe he can’t tell who she is. Many high school girls tend to have similar hairstyles. It’s possible that he only has her middle school image to go off of,” Shiratake muttered, shaking his head, “Narihisago-san, has she changed her hairstyle recently?”

Akihito closed his eyes and thought for a moment. The Muku inside the well indeed looked younger and wore the wrong uniform from the school. She also had a ponytail to the side of her hair.

The Muku that he saw everyday before school started didn't wear a side ponytail anymore. She had let her hair down a couple times during dinnertime. She felt different compared to her earlier years as an elementary and middle school student.

“So, she doesn’t wear a side ponytail anymore, yet the killer could still be looking for someone in a similar fashion,” Wakashika said, nodding his head, “It could be used as good bait for Matsuoka’s team to lure the Brander out.”

“Togo-san! We found something that could help them on their mission,” Habutae called out from the side of the Wellside Room, “Let’s use the killer’s distorted view of the target to our advantage.”

“Like what?” Togo asked, who was beside Momoki looking at them sternly, “Don’t treat Narihisago-san’s daughter like a guinea pig. That’s rude.”

“We don’t mean that,” Shiratake answered back, “We just need someone who looks similar to his daughter based on the image from the id well. It could be used as a trap to catch the Brander.”

“Someone who looks similar to his daughter, huh?” Togo said, thinking to herself, “I think I got someone who can play that role perfectly…”

Meanwhile, near Matsugaya Junior High School, part of Matsuoka’s team had disguised themselves as part of the school security to blend in. Matsuoka and Hondomachi were still planning on how to coordinate everyone towards their positions in order to ambush the Brander in case they found him.

The bell had rung for classes to end, so many students were slowly coming out of the school buildings and out of the front gates.

“A strange teacher who had only been seen by other students after classes end looking through the club rooms,” Hondomachi muttered to herself as she went through some new information sent by Momoki, “There is even a brief mention of a guitar case as well. We might actually be able to find him this time.”

“Seems like part of our team is ready to go,” Matsuoka said, checking the school map, “The school really cooperated with us this time. We can’t let this opportunity go to waste.”

While they were preparing their own disguises, another connection came up, this time from Togo. She seemed to be requesting Hondomachi to be on call. There weren’t many students left from the school apart from the ones at club activities.

“Matsuoka-san, I believe there is a way to lure the Brander out.”

“How? Do we not need to monitor the club rooms for the potential killer?”

“No, not that. The other Kura staff members had convinced me about another method that can help you all on your current mission.”

Matsuoka raised an eyebrow, a little confused. Togo sometimes came on call to give them advice and the usual lectures about protocol. But this time it was different.

“Please get Hondomachi-san on the line.”

Matsuoka called Hondomachi to take the call, unsure of what he was expecting. Hondomachi quickly got on the line, waiting to hear from Togo with the Kura staff nearby.

“Hondomachi-san, we need you to be disguised as a high schooler…”

Hondomachi reacted disgusted by that idea, but she calmed herself after listening to Togo’s added plans based on the Kura staff. It sounded viable and it would make use of their team disguise much more efficiently and wouldn’t scare the other students that were still in school.

“Are you sure about this?” Hondomachi asked, putting on a side ponytail to her hair, “Using the killer’s distorted view of his target against him sounds reasonable, but why pick me?”

“You apparently look the part,” Matsuoka answered, double checking everything, “You are a similar height to Narihisago-san’s daughter and seems like the killer has had trouble distinguishing her from the other students all this time.”

“I don’t know whether that’s a compliment or an insult, but we’re under a time limit,” Hondomachi said, closing her eyes as she prepared herself to go into the school not far from them, “This better work. The rumors of a strange teacher checking the club rooms everyday sounds creepy already. No student would want that kind of person around.”

And Hondomachi slowly went into the school, dressed in the school’s high school uniform and with a side ponytail to the side of her hair.

The hallways were quiet, except for the chatter of students in their club rooms all across the school buildings. Matsuoka’s team were all over the school buildings, hidden in corners and cooperating with part of the school security in order to hide their formation.

Hondomachi slowly walked over the school grounds, trying her best to blend in. She was carrying a small bag with some safety police equipment for her protection just in case. 

“Let’s hope I don’t lose my cover before I investigate around here,” Hondomachi said frantically, walking through the hallways, “There are students and teachers around here. Can’t have someone suspecting me right now…”

She walked along the school building, with Matsuoka leading the way. There was a corridor of club rooms near the end of one of them. The place where most students tended to have their club meetings and activities.

A few students walked along the path, but they all seemed to ignore her.

“So far so good. Let’s see if the teacher really comes around the corner…”

Hondomachi hid in one of the corners of the hallway, looking past her for anyone suspicious. Checking her connection with Matsuoka through a small mic around her ear, everything was all clear. Everything had been set up for an ambush, with the obvious exits blocked by security.

“Seems like all we have to do is wait,” Matsuoka said through the connection, “Is everything all clear over there?”

“Everything all clear.”

Hondomachi checked her clothes, looking for a place to hide a weapon in her disguise. The high school uniform felt a bit bulky on her. She wore a longer padded skirt and a simple sailor uniform that the school issued. She also wore longer and thicker socks so that she could hide a small knife inside it.

“Let me see if I can put a gun somewhere on myself,” she said quietly, trying to find a spot, “Just in case the Brander would try to harm me with his weapon.”

After a couple mismatches, she ended up putting the gun behind her back. It was underneath her uniform, so she would have to move carefully and not make a sound while she was moving around.

“This will have to do. I hope it doesn’t make any noise.”

But before Hondomachi could begin to move again to check her surroundings, she got another call from Matsuoka. Believing that they could have found him already, she quickly picked up the connection.

“What is it, Matsuoka-san? Did you pick up anything yet?”

“Nothing so far. However, I have a message from the main Kura staff to bring you. I believe it is from Narihisago-san.”

Hondomachi paused for a moment to listen to the message. A recording was hosted quickly through her connection and Akihito’s voice came through.

“Hondomachi-san, I leave Muku’s safety to you. Please promise me that she will come out unscathed. I have to trust you for the mission this time, because I can’t go to the scene like before…”

There was a pause before Akihito sighed through the connection. He sounded worried from the way he spoke to her.

“…Good luck.”

Hondomachi closed her eyes and prayed. She couldn't let the mission fail for Narihisago’s sake as well. His daughter’s life was on the line again.

She had to remain calm and persist through the mission.

After Matsuoka cut off the recording, Hondomachi thanked him for the message. Afterwards, she began to move again from her hiding spot so that she could look like a wandering high school student near the club room corridors, which were full of storage rooms and unused classrooms for the club members to use for their activities.

There was still chatter going on inside them. Nothing suspicious so far.

“Guess I’ll have to walk through them after all. This hallway is longer than I thought…”

And so, she slowly walked through the club room hallway, taking a smaller bag full of equipment with her while leaving the larger police bag hidden in a nearby empty corridor. She quickly checked the time.

It had been at least an hour since classes ended.

“Nothing so far. How long do we have wai—”

But before she could finish, a faint sound of footsteps were coming from the end of the hallway. It was coming closer towards the club room hallway that she was in.

Hondomachi quickly took up her mic closer to her ear, whispering that there was movement now. After telling Matsuoka her position, he asked for part of the team to go towards her location, but it would take some time. She would have to see if it really was the rumored teacher and not an actual teacher that had come in to check on the students.

“Are you sure he isn’t from the school? You checked through all the school staff photos before going into the school right?”

Hondomachi tried to make herself sound reasonable.

“Yes, but I can’t see him clearly yet, so I’ll keep walking or else I’ll look suspicious.”

She slowly walked forward, being careful to not make any noise with a hidden gun in her back. The man seemed to be carrying some small bag and was wearing gloves. His face looked obscured by his hair and he was wearing a face mask. His movements were erratic and silent, with only a few loud footsteps here and there. It made him sound and move like a ghost.

“I can see why the students thought he was a ghost; he even moves like one…”

It took awhile for the man to notice her, but when he did, his eyes became wide with curiosity and hope. It looked like he had just reached the jackpot after so many weeks of searching. His eyes gleaned turned towards Hondomachi’s side ponytail.

“D-Do you happen to be Narihisago-chan?”

_Did this disguise actually work? So, the Brander was confused by the hairstyle?_

Hondomachi tried her best to remain calm and act her part. She didn’t want to give away her cover so quickly. She had to make sure that he was the right man, just in case. Smiling nervously, she tried to act like a student.

“What if I am?” she muttered at the man, “Why are you here after class, Sensei?”

The man cleared his throat and tried to reassure himself.

“You don’t recognize me? My name is Orochi Sasaki. I just check up on the students now and then on their activities inside the club rooms here. Just call me Sasaki-sensei.”

Hondomachi eyed the equipment that he was holding. The bag he was carrying looked strangely long compared to how thin and tight the object inside was. It looked like he was hiding a weapon inside his bag. It was hard to see from the other possible items that he could have hidden within the bag.

Then she noticed that he was hiding his gloved hands behind his back, which made him look slightly hunched. There seemed to be small black specks of something on his gloves.

“Sasaki- _sensei_ , why do you cover your hands so tightly around your back? Won’t it make it harder to walk?”

Sasaki smiled through his face mask, trying to look sickly.

“Narihisago- _chan_ , there are reasons that you don’t need to know. It’s to keep my equipment intact and store them properly. A little hassle goes a long way.”

Hondomachi looked at his face mask. It looked like he was trying to cover his face by looking sickly so that no one could go near him. The clothes he was wearing also covered his shoulders, so she wasn’t able to see anything underneath it.

Apart from his strange clothing choices, this man didn’t look too far from just a sickly teacher just carrying some equipment to a different location inside the school.

“Say, what are you carrying around in your small bag?” Sasaki asked back, “It won’t be nice to just ask what a teacher is carrying around, right?”

He tried to get closer to Hondomachi, trying to grab the small bag from her clutches.

“You don’t need to know what’s inside,” she answered back, “A teacher shouldn’t get too close to a student like that.”

She held onto her small bag tightly, trying not to reveal its contents in front of him. It would blow her cover as a student in the school. Unfortunately, she didn’t pay attention to the gun hidden on her back. It started to make a clanky sound as she moved.

Clank.

“What’s that noise? It sounds like you’re hiding something.”

Hondomachi tried to retain her composure, not wanting to get caught by the man so quickly. Holding her small bag tightly, she looked around for any openings in the hallway. But there didn’t seem to be any nearby.

“I-It’s nothing.”

But the clanking from her stepping back slowly slid the gun downward, causing it to crash on the floor. The gun fell out of Hondomachi’s back from her sudden movement away from the man trying to snatch her bag.

Clank.

“What is that gun doing on the floor?”

_Uh oh. Not good._

Hondomachi paused and remained silent, not sure of what to say.

“Aren’t students forbidden to carry weapons in school?”

_Did I just blow my cover in front of him?!_

Hondomachi looked back towards Sasaki’s face, which looked more of a mix of confusion and curiosity towards her. He started to get closer to her, trying to grab her bag and the gun on the floor.

She had to react fast, defend herself and arrest him before there was any commotion from the students nearby. 

A silence followed as Hondomachi checked to make sure no students were around while she dealt with Sasaki, a strange teacher who had been rumored to check the club rooms every day. His reaction towards her hair caused her to suspect him as being the Brander.

Moving fast, she grabbed the gun off the floor and pointed it at him.

“Are you Tsubaki Hara’s killer?”

Sasaki shook his head, trying to look confused. His eyes, however, spoke the truth. His eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to think of an explanation. He put his hands up from Hondomachi’s gun, revealing more black specks on his gloves.

“W-What are you talking about? I-I don’t know who she is.”

Hondomachi saw bits of arm muscle from his clothes. The long thin bag that he was carrying was still made it difficult to distinguish any kind of weapon. But based on the id well, footage, and the crime scene that she had seen, it could be a scythe.

Then, her mic came on. Matsuoka was trying to contact her about what was going on.

“Hondomachi-san, what is going on over there? Should I send in support now?”

“Not now! I’m bus—”

Hondomachi felt a punch to her face as her mic fell off and she fell to the floor. Her gun flew out of her hands, followed by Sasaki who quickly took it and ran off from the club room hallway. He had been fooled by her disguise, but then found out that she was a possible cop from the gun falling out of her back.

With one hand, she grabbed the dented mic on the floor and put it closer to her ear.

“Suspect is trying to run outside! Block all the exits and ambush him! He has a gun, so be careful of gunshots. He is located inside the club room hallway inside the school.”

She quickly took out a smoke bomb from her bag and threw it at Sasaki. It ignited and caused part of the hallway to be full of smoke. The students that were inside their club rooms saw bits of white smokey air coming from their doors, so they checked to see what was going on.

A few students shrieked at the commotion in the hallway.

Hondomachi got up from the floor and grabbed her small bag. She rushed towards the confused Sasaki inside the smoke screen to ambush him and get the gun out of his hand. The man then tried to get her off his back by pulling the side ponytail, causing Hondomachi to hold her hair in pain.

“Sneaky cop. How about I shoot you with the gun you dropped?”

Sasaki pointed the gun near Hondomachi’s forehead.

Gunshots were fired.

Hearing the commotion from the smoke bomb and gunshots outside of the school gates, Matsuoka called for support to get to the scene as soon as possible before more students came to see what was going on. He didn’t expect things to go too well, as Hondomachi sometimes got herself into reckless situations, so he wasn’t too surprised.

“Get to the club room hallway! Hondomachi-san sounds like she’s been shot!”

The rest of Matsuoka’s team rushed to the scene, with a few disguised officers pointing their gun at Sasaki through the smoke screen. They approached the scene and were shocked to find Hondomachi restraining him. She was holding onto his wrists and his shoulders, while his gloves had been partially removed. A small knife was by her side, slightly tainted with blood. Her hair had become a bit shabby from the hair pull.

“I’ve gotten him, Matsuoka-san. The suspect has been captured.”

One of the officers came closer towards Hondomachi and helped handcuff him. He asked how she managed to get herself out of being wounded by the gunshot. She scratched her head and tried to explain.

She had narrowly avoided the gunshot near her head, but still remembered the knife she hid underneath her skirt. Tripping Sasaki with her legs, she tried to restrain him and take the gun. Taking out her knife from her socks, she sliced at his hands, causing him to drop the weapon.

“I’m not as weak as you think, Sasaki- _san_!”

He tried to punch her again, but this time Hondomachi managed to dodge them. Her knife sliced a bit of the glove off, revealing more black specks on his hands. In one fell swoop, she jumped him and restrained him once again, this time using her mic to call for support from Matsuoka.

After the smoke had cleared, Sasaki was arrested for assaulting a cop, possessing weapons inside his bag and for endangering the school. The guitar case was found hidden inside one of the school’s kitchen classrooms. Kura connected the clues from the Brander's id well and the crime scenes to pinpoint him to being the serial killer.

“His real name is Joji Narita. He had been killing his victims using a scythe and branded them using a branding tool that he brought with him. It would explain the iron residue surrounding all the corpses and using their kitchens to create enough heat to brand the skin. It seems like the id well is related to his family’s past that involved agriculture. He has calluses on his hands and has his own blacksmith workshop at his home, which were used to make the branding tools. I’m still unsure why he would go through all the trouble to mark each victim differently.”

Kokufu finished his report, and Momoki accepted it to be sent to the Chief. Akihito had calmed down since the Brander had been caught, so Muku was safe again. He had treated Hondomachi with much more respect since then.

But there were still some clues that didn’t make much sense from the Brander case.

How was it related to John Walker? There wasn’t much to go by other than Muku being targeted, the strange being inside the id well and the number seven.

“There must be something else that we’re missing,” Momoki said, “We still don’t understand why the victims were all marked that way. After some investigation, all of the symbols resemble Arabic numerals. All the people inside the well had numbers one to seven over their bodies, while Kaeru had zero and Sakaido had eight.”

“Didn’t you get all that from the Brander’s interrogation?” Wakashika muttered, munching on a chocolate bar, “The case seems closed to me. He is inside Kura Prison now, waiting for his conviction.”

_There must be something else I’m forgetting. This Brander case ended up being a mess. I believe it is probably related to the Chief and his story…_

Momoki cleared his throat and approached Wakashika, who was leaning on the wall on the side of the Wellside Room. He reacted surprised and shocked, quickly hiding his candy bar.

“A-Are you going to scold me for eating here?! I’m sorry! I-I didn’t notice you were there for a second…”

“Well…I…it’s not that. There’s something important I need to ask you. Can you get everyone here?”

Wakashika breathed a sigh of relief before putting his hand to his chin. Momoki still needed to know the meaning of the Chief’s story about the Man of Many Faces, and why everyone was allowed their own ending to the story.

After thinking for a moment, Wakashika gave Momoki his answer.

“Well, I can get Habutae-san and Shiratake-san to come. Although Togo-san and Kokufu-san are still waiting for the Chief’s response from the report. Are you okay with that?”

“What about Narihisago? Where did he go?”

“The Chief mentioned something about having a private meeting with him. Sorry about not telling you earlier. Narihisago-san didn’t want you to worry about him.”

Momoki seemed shocked at the news.

_What is the Chief doing with Narihisago?!_

“Momoki-san?”

Momoki snapped out of it and looked back at Wakashika, trying to get his attention. After taking a breather, he told him to get the others. There was no time to complain about the situation right now.

After shaking his head, Momoki decided to just allow Wakashika to get the other Kura staff members as he could. He needed to find a pattern to this story anyway.

“Get the others, Wakashika-san. Please, tell me your endings to the Chief’s story…”

Not too long after the Brander’s case was closed, the Chief called Akihito out from his conversations with Hondomachi. He was thanking her for capturing the Brander and saving Muku’s life from being a potential seventh victim. He had wanted to ask her if she wanted to be Muku’s bodyguard but didn’t know how to convince her.

He still needed to ask the Chief about whether or not Momoki talked about him during their private meeting a few weeks ago. However, it seemed like the Chief called on him instead.

“What is it, Chief Hayaseura?” Akihito asked, scratching his head, “Did I do something wrong again?”

His reaction to Muku being inside the Brander’s id well might have caused the Chief to be more uptight with him, due to wanting to leave the Kura Building if it weren’t for Momoki quickly checking up on him and stopping him.

Wait, what if he found out that he talked the Face Lifter into suicide?

Instead, the Chief led him into his office on the 6th floor. He had gotten it cleaned up and refurbished with some sweets on the table, along with a teapot filled with brewed tea on the side. The room looked a bit dim, except for some specks of sunlight coming from the windows.

“Sit down, Narihisago-san. I’m sure you must be tired from worrying about your daughter all this time. You should rest.”

“T-Thank you, Chief Hayaseura.”

There were two couches back to back near the table, so he sat down on one of them. The Chief then sat down on the opposite end. He tried to offer Akihito some treats from the table, but he refused. So, he decided to pour the two of them some tea instead.

“So, tell me. What did you want to ask from me?”

Akihito looked back at the Chief, confused and shocked.

“What do you mean?”

The Chief stroked his beard as he chuckled at Akihito’s remark. He acted more carefree towards him compared to how indifferent he was to the others. Akihito was surprised at the Chief’s question, but he quickly regained his composure.

He took some sips from the brewed tea that the Chief had poured for him.

_Okay. Now is not the time to get shackled by the Chief’s words. I’ve got to ask him what was said during Momoki’s meeting with him a few weeks ago. Momoki won’t tell me anything._

“Narihisago-san, do you want to know the true meaning of my story?”

Akihito closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

“Are you talking about the Man of Many Faces?” Akihito answered back, “I’ve always wondered why you always make us come up with our own endings to the story. Does it mean anything?”

The Chief opened up some rice crackers from their packaging and took a bite. This time, he offered it to Akihito again, who accepted it. After they silently ate for a while, the Chief spoke again.

“Yes, I believe that it does mean something. It shows everyone’s inner workings, their desires. How they use the man indicates how they will try to solve his problems. It may reflect on their own behavior and motives as well.”

_Does that mean that my ending to the story reflects on me…?_

Akihito reflected on the ending that he had told to the Face Lifter prior to his death. He had convinced the man that he had to take his own life in order to not do this sickening job again. Since there were at least three masks that the man inside the story had to wear, one for home, work, and the police force.

“Wait, why would the man have one for work _and_ the police force? What does he do for a living? Why does he need _two_ masks?”

The Chief chuckled at Akihito’s question. He praised him for his keen eye to detail on the story.

“Work can mean different things to people. It can be a relationship between co-workers, or the hierarchical system between the boss and its employees. It is up to you on how you define work. The police do ask him for advice a lot it seems.”

Akihito sipped more of his tea while reflecting on the Chief’s words. He silently ate some more rice crackers as he stared at the floor beneath him.

_Wonder if I should ask about what happened at Momoki’s meeting. But it sounds rude to ask about something so private though…_

“Narihisago-san, are you curious about the meeting I had with Momoki-san?”

Akihito looked back at the Chief in shock.

How did he know?

“My, my. You don’t need to act so surprised. Your interactions with Momoki-san seems rather cold lately. Did he not tell you anything?”

Akihito shook his head in dismay.

“I’m not really sure. All I know is that Momoki hasn't talked to me much these past few weeks ever since his meeting with you. So, I was wondering if I was in trouble or caused anything. He did say that he would try to talk to you about me before he went to the meeting.”

The Chief chuckled and laughed. It still shocked Akihito to see him act carefree around him. He didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Momoki-san is such a caring friend towards you. We didn’t say much in our meeting that night, just telling him the same story that I have told you all. Although he suspects me of illegitimate activities, he just seems to care about your wellbeing in the end. He has no proof or evidence to use against me after all.”

But Akihito still sulked despite the Chief’s answer. The Chief then patted him on the shoulder again and tried to cheer him up.

“Narihisago-san, are you worried about your family’s safety?”

Akihito sighed. The very fear that he had had come true. Muku was being targeted again, despite being in a different city. John Walker also showed up inside an id well again, prompting him to believe that they could be connected.

He also had the dream again.

His family was also shown dead by some gruesome method.

But the ghost girl had become…Kaeru.

“I am worried for their safety. Thank you for your consideration, Chief Hayaseura. However, I also wanted to ask something else as well.”

The Chief sat back down and raised his head, curious about Akihito’s remarks.

“I-I keep having these dreams about Kaeru-chan even outside the wells. They seem to involve her getting slaughtered by other kinds of killers, and the mysterious cane man, John Walker. They all seem to occur whenever there’s a case involving my family for some reason…”

The Chief didn’t laugh or chuckle this time but remained silent after Akihito talked about his strange dreams. He reacted more seriously to his complaints about the nightmares that he had been having, and how Momoki had pestered him too much about them.

Afterwards, the Chief gave Akihito some advice.

“Narihisago-san, you may want to be careful revealing too much information to Momoki-san after all. See how he treated you with those dreams? You can tell them to me instead, and I’ll help you bring you back to your senses…”

Akihito nodded quietly but was still sulking. He hadn’t been able to do anything to capture the Brander himself but had to rely on Matsuoka’s team the whole time.

Who knows what could have happened?

“Is there anything that I can do to protect my family? I can’t just be in the cockpit room all day and not be allowed to help in on the missions. Is there another way for me?”

The Chief smiled right as Akihito finished his sentence. He seemed to have something in mind.

“Actually, I do have something for you, Narihisago-san. Don’t you want some payback to those nasty serial killers who keep targeting your precious daughter? You can always interrogate them inside Kura Prison as much as you like.”

_Payback, huh. The things they have done to Muku. They don’t deserve to live…_

A few days later, Akihito walked into Kura Prison after the workday was over. He quickly found the Brander inside one of the jail cells, still waiting for his conviction. But this time, he seemed clueless on who he was, due to only having a showdown with Hondomachi during his capture.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?!”

Akihito chuckled a bit before responding to his question.

“Me? I am the father of the high schooler you tried to target, _Narita-san_. Who was the one that _ordered_ you to target Muku?”

The Brander freaked out a little from the mention of a higher up. Akihito felt like he had gotten a hint on a possible connection to John Walker.

“I can’t say it! I’ll get killed here!” he exclaimed, panicking inside his cell, “How did you figure out that I was under someone’s orders?!”

“It wasn’t that hard,” Akihito replied back, sternly looking at him, “Your past victims all seemed random apart from the first and sixth one, which were related to you. They were all adults. Suddenly targeting a child sounds a bit far-fetched. It does sound like a break from your usual pattern…”

The Brander didn’t say anything for a moment, scared out of his wits.

“Don’t want to talk? You’re going to die here anyway. There is no hope and future for you after all that you’ve done…”

Akihito’s eyes glared at him, full of hate and vengeance.

He wasn’t going to let this killer get away with it either.

Who is John Walker? Why is he connected to _another_ serial killer again?

The next day, the Brander was found dead inside his jail cell inside Kura Prison, just like the Face Lifter beforehand. He also took his own life.

A pattern was beginning to form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the Brander is here! Up next is a cooldown chapter! :0  
> Someone familiar will come into the scene, on the 5th case.
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated. :D  
> Beta and Edit by Ayden


	14. Trip to Tokyo Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another cooldown chapter

File 14: Trip to Tokyo Tower

_Did I do the right thing?_

Akihito pondered on what he did to the Brander. The anguish and despair that he had seen before he left Kura Prison after talking to him. It had already been a week since the news of the Brander’s death reached Kura again, making them even more confused than before.

He had been wondering why the Chief allowed him to do that.

_But I’m doing this to protect my family…_

He closed his eyes, trying to justify his actions.

_I’ve got to get Muku a bodyguard. She can’t be bullied for this incident either…_

Rolling around on a bed in a separate room, he had made a makeshift bed near his photography room so that he could rest when he needed to. Ayako hadn’t seemed pleased with that prospect, but she allowed it so that he could have some time to focus on his hobby sometimes.

“Aki-kun, were you in the photography room again?”

Akihito looked up to see Ayako standing by the doorway, looking at him. She sounded a bit discontent, worried about his behavior.

“Resting in this room instead of our bedroom. Did you spend all night preparing for your trip?”

He shook his head at her question and then covered his head with his pillow. He rolled around to the side of the bed, trying not to hear her.

“Come on now. There is still one more day left,” Ayako said, shaking Akihito from the bed, “Help me with my preparations as well. My relatives are in the city right now and want to meet up with me.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll help,” Akihito chuckled back, “It’s nice that we were able to find a date that worked for both of us. We’ll get everything in order.”

“Are you sure about this? You don’t want me to join you?”

Akihito sighed and touched her gently. He didn’t want Ayako to feel even more worried about their safety since the school incident. He didn’t want to tell her about his constant dreams that had been increasing in intensity ever since they moved to Tokyo.

He still needed to figure out why John Walker would target them in another city after all this time. It sounded too convenient and precise. It was as if he _knew_ they were going to come here. The underlying sense of fear and dread couldn’t be ignored any longer.

Why is Muku being targeted in the first place?

Why him? Why _his_ family?

“Aki-kun, what about Muku’s safety?” Ayako muttered, touching his face, “The high school seemed to have been relatively quiet about the incident, saying that it was just an accident from the labs that blew smoke through the hallways. Will she be okay?”

Akihito scratched his head before he gave her an answer.

“As long as they don’t say who the killer was targeting, Muku should be fine,” Akihito muttered back, “It’s already hard enough for her to get into a good school so that she can get a good job, but this will just be ridiculous. I don’t want these incidents to negatively impact her even more…”

After they rested together for a while, Ayako got up to prepare them some snacks while he planned for their trips and schedules. Akihito thought to himself on how to convince Hondomachi to be Muku’s bodyguard. Her age wasn’t too far from Muku’s and they were both a similar height, according to how the Brander mission went.

_Hondomachi-san could also be Muku’s friend. I know that she probably has other friends from her club activities and school but having a bodyguard could increase her security. That way, she won’t be limited to some places to where I can watch her…_

Akihito then took out his phone and called Hondomachi. She picked up the call not too long after, asking about how things were going over there.

“Narihisago-san, how is your daughter?”

Akihito sighed before replying.

“Hondomachi-san, seems like everything went well. Thank you for protecting my daughter. She didn’t see the killer at all in this case. Thank you very much.”

“Oh. By the way, what did you say about inviting me on a trip? Are you fine with that? This won’t be treated like an investigation, right?”

“No, no. Just be casual and have fun with us. It would be nice to have someone Muku can chat with. It would help a lot with her anxiety from the previous cases…”

Hondomachi didn’t respond for a while as there was a silence between them. After a while, she seemed to have accepted his response.

“Alright. I know that you want me to be her bodyguard and want me to know more about her. But I guess having a casual trip around Tokyo doesn’t sound like a bad idea…”

She was right. Akihito still chose her to be Muku’s bodyguard but was still unsure about her job position and if it was okay. They would later have to check with Kura about it, and probably would need to get Momoki’s and the Chief’s approval.

But for now, this was just a testing ground to get to know each other better.

Meanwhile, Momoki had papers all over his desk at his apartment condo. They were filled with the previous cases they had dealt with, as well as investigations on Kiki’s whereabouts. He had managed to find the scientist’s name on his experiments inside the same hospital where she was located.

His name was Nishio Shirakoma.

“He was suspected of being the cause of Asukai-san’s disappearance ever since the coma incident, but he had a strong alibi during that time. He had stated that his experiments on the Invasion of the Subconscious Mediated by Dreams was about exploring the human realm of imagination and on how it could be used to see their desires and weaknesses…”

He flipped another page from one of the notes he took from some of the files out of their folders and organized them. There were some notes on Akihito’s dreams during the Face Lifter’s case and on how the cram school footage and the frog corpse display could be connected.

Togo yawned in the distance as she slowly came forward to see Momoki’s messy pile of papers on the desk again. She had been listening to him ramble all day on his solo investigations on Kura, Kiki and on how Akihito’s dreams sometimes seemed to collide with the cases that involved his family.

“Momoki-san, how long have you been going at it? Kura might not get a new case for a while since the Brander’s death, so you really need to rest. You might overwork yourself.”

Momoki shook his head at Togo’s remark. Ever since Akihito stopped helping him in their investigation and stopped giving him information on his dreams lately, he had to go by what he knew, reports from others and what Kura had discovered based on their cases.

“Togo-san, a lot of these things seem intentional. Even the timing is very coincidental. Why were we only given the case _after_ the killer had murdered several people?”

“Wasn’t it to see if we could find their killer particles from the crime scenes first? Then from there, we could easily catch the culprit afterward.”

“True, but some of the victim’s cases in between getting caught, it looks like someone was helping them. The professional removal of evidence and how they managed to escape capture sounds off. Suddenly, the answer was given to us to easily capture the killer afterward…”

“Doesn’t it show the capabilities of the Mizuhanome? What’s wrong with that?”

Momoki shook his head in dismay. It felt like she didn’t understand the implications of their cases.

“I-It’s not just that. Also, the sheer pattern of John Walker appearing in the cases that involved Narihisago’s family so far. Narihisago’s sudden retaliation for giving me more details on his dreams could be connected to that. Maybe it had to do with the Chie—”

Togo flicked her fingers at Momoki’s forehead to get him to stop talking. He pulled back and rubbed his forehead afterward.

“What was that for? I was just trying to explain things!”

Togo shook her head and poked Momoki’s face. He seemed annoyed by her actions.

“Momoki-san, did you try to reconcile with Narihisago-san again? You still haven’t asked him about Tokyo Tower yet?”

Momoki sighed at the mention of Tokyo Tower again. He had tried to talk to Akihito since the Brander’s case, but he got whisked away by the Chief before he could do anything. He also wanted to know how everybody’s endings to the Man of Many Faces could be related.

There were clues and riddles everywhere. He just needed to organize them.

“Narihisago said that he had already planned a trip with Hondomachi-san. I don’t know if I want to bother them since the high school incident. He just wants to protect his daughter right now…”

“Didn’t Narihisago-san also mention asking for yours and the Chief’s approval? Maybe it would be nice to watch over them on their trip. It could be like a date.”

“A date?!”

Momoki’s face blushed red, embarrassed from such a thought. He had been too busy concentrating on his investigations to notice that Togo had tried to get him to go on a date with her all this time. Maybe there was a need for a break once in a while.

“Won’t it ruin my friendship with Narihisago if he finds out that we were watching them? Maybe that isn’t such a good ide—”

Togo interrupted again by blowing into his ear, distracting him. Momoki didn’t seem pleased with all this. It felt like she wasn’t listening to him at all.

“Come on, let’s have some fun sometimes. I know that you’re worried about Narihisago-san, but he doesn’t want to think about Kura’s implications right now. He still needs time to think for himself. You should take it easy as well, and I’ll help as much as I can.”

Momoki sighed and put his hands over his face. He felt tired and weary about Kura ever since Narihisago got admitted into becoming Mizuhanome’s pilot, without being tested or knowing the whereabouts of the other candidates.

It took Momoki’s questions about Kiki looking similar to Kaeru and Narihisago’s dreams. The Chief responded back through a private meeting with him on what could have happened to them. He ended up getting cornered by the Chief’s words, unable to say anything. Since then, he wasn’t able to tell Narihisago anything about the truth of being a Mizuhanome Pilot.

It could bite him in the back later, but he didn’t want to impact his best friend’s mental state even more. He already was dealing with paranoia from the serial killers targeting his family and needed to take protective measures immediately.

“You could just say that we were keeping an eye on Hondomachi-san,” Togo muttered back, “Don’t need to be so blunt about it. Let’s just enjoy our time together while we can.”

Momoki scratched his head and put some files back into their folders. He could use a breather so that he could concentrate on his investigations better. It would be unwise to burn himself out too much.

“Maybe you’re right. A trip to Tokyo doesn’t sound so bad right now, and we’re near the city anyway…”

Togo smiled at Momoki’s response, patting him on the back. She then came closer to his ear and whispered:

“You can still try to ask Narihisago-san if he is okay. I don’t think he hates you. He probably wants to avoid causing more trouble for you.”

“Togo-san, I don’t know,” Momoki replied, “There’s so much stuff I want to ask, but I don’t want to overwhelm him either. I’ll have to get some of my files in order and think it over.”

The two of them then prepared their trip to Tokyo as well, hoping to meet up with Akihito’s group nearby.

The next day, Akihito prepared his camera equipment and some money for their trip around Tokyo with Hondomachi and Muku. Ayako would be meeting with her relatives in the city as well, but they would be doing other activities. He could meet up with them another time.

“Muku, are you sure about this?” Ayako asked, straightening her daughter’s hair, “Your Dad would be introducing someone to protect you.”

“He probably has a point,” Muku answered, “I heard that it was related to the school incident a while back.”

Hondomachi came forward from their apartment’s front door, right near their steep uphill corner of the room where they took off their shoes. She waited for them by the door but was offered a seat near the living room while Akihito and Muku got their things ready.

“Is it always normal like this?” she asked, looking around the Narihisago family’s living room, “The room looks more stuffy than usual.”

Ayako didn’t say a word about Hondomachi’s observations. It looked like Akihito might have been trying to hide some weapons for their safety in some areas of the room. Every room had at least a small knife and a bat so that they could fight back when they needed to.

“Sorry for the wait,” Akihito said, organizing his camera into his bag, “I needed to make sure the camera wasn’t damaged and had enough space for more photographs. I hope I brought enough money…”

Ayako quickly went to the kitchen to grab something. She came back with a small bento box full of onigiri. It was to be eaten as a snack before they had their meals.

“Aki-kun, here take these.”

She handed him the bento box, so that he would put it into their bag immediately.

“But what about yours? Don’t you think you would need it more?”

Ayako giggled before she responded to Akihito’s remark.

“It’s fine. They’re family. I’m sure they’ll take care of me. I’ll bring us back some treats afterwards, okay?”

Akihito scratched his head and nodded. He had checked his schedule for their trip and had wanted to visit Tokyo Tower again. It reminded him of his time he had with Momoki a long time back, and the need to bring Muku there. She was now old enough to visit the tower on her own but going there again should be fine.

After all, Momoki had reminded him before about it.

“Well then, let’s get going,” Akihito said, checking the time, “We need to catch the train to get to inner Tokyo before it gets crowded again.”

“Have fun, Aki-kun. I’ll leave right after you three.”

And so, Akihito, Hondomachi and Muku departed to go have fun in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Momoki and Togo were already near Tokyo while they were resting at one of the café shops nearby. They had been wandering around the city, slowly getting closer and closer to Tokyo Tower, one of the most iconic landmarks in Tokyo.

Momoki kept trying to organize his thoughts on what he had found from his investigations and continued to discuss them with Togo.

“The Brander case feels a bit off,” Momoki muttered, sipping part of his coffee, “The way we found the evidence so quickly sounds way too convenient. Apparently, they have had trouble finding him beforehand, and then we’re suddenly given an obvious clue that led us into capturing him…”

“What do you mean?” Togo asked, “Does it have to do with the Brander’s id well?”

“I-It’s not that, Togo-san. I’m talking about the footage that we got from the previous crime scene. The other places where the other murders took place either didn’t have a security camera near that location or was temporarily shut off during that time. It’s a bit odd that it gave the killer the right circumstances so many times.”

“It can’t be just luck, right?”

“I don’t think so. It feels the same as the Face Lifter’s case as well. There must have been accomplices that had helped them with their murders. I know that the Face Lifter had briefly mentioned working with someone to move the bodies to their designated locations after killing them based on Muku-chan’s statement. The way they were moved matched a different pattern than how he operated.”

“They both had John Walker inside their wells…”

“Exactly. So, I believe that this strange John Walker man must have been helping them with their murders as their coordinator. He even dared to record a very blurred out footage of himself, taunting us. These all can’t be a coincidence…”

Togo sipped her coffee before responding back.

“Like Narihisago-san’s daughter being targeted…”

She then took out her phone while Momoki stared back out at the café window in front of them. They were seated close to a train station nearby, so that they could leave quickly after they were done drinking their coffee. Togo had a few pamphlets to the side on some recommended locations to explore around Tokyo.

_Maybe the Chief has the Challenger’s well already. He did tell me that he managed to get his and Narihisago’s in that meeting. I’ll have to see if that has John Walker in it as well. We’ll have to see…_

Momoki turned around to see Togo calling Hondomachi. They were talking about their plans about the recommended Tokyo attractions to check out. It would be fine to go on a few detours while they’re in Minato City, and meet up in Tokyo Tower with Akihito’s group near the end.

“Togo-san! What are you doing?! Why would you call them?”

“Checking up with Hondomachi-san,” Togo answered back, still on call, “Just letting her know that we might meet up with them at some point. She said that she’s with Narihisago-san and his daughter right now.”

“Where are they going?”

Togo shushed him and told him where they were after she finished her call.

Akihito took Hondomachi and Muku to Minato City, where Tokyo Tower was located. It took at least an hour train ride from Chofu to inner Tokyo, changing a few stations along the way. They arrived near the parks, so they decided to rest and eat some of the onigiri that Ayako had given them.

“Togo-san called me to ask where we were,” Hondomachi muttered, eating an onigiri, “Seems like she and Momoki-san were just asking about a meet up in Tokyo Tower.”

“Tokyo Tower?” Muku asked, “I haven’t been there yet.”

“I had always wanted to take you there,” Akihito answered back, shaking his head, “But you were too young at that time. It’s better to do it now while we still can. I have brought my camera for this occasion after all.”

“But what about Mom? Will she be able to come too?”

Akihito sighed, finishing his onigiri.

“N-Not today, Muku. We can go there again with your Mom another time. Today, I just want to introduce you to Hondomachi-san, who could be your bodyguard for your activities…”

Muku looked back and faced Hondomachi. She stared at her, wary about her Dad’s co-worker right in front of her. Hondomachi looked back at her, smiling nervously.

“But aren’t you one of Dad’s co-workers?” Muku said, scratching her head, “Won’t it be weird?”

“It should be fine, Muku. She may be _short_ but she’s a reliable person and wants to know you bett—"

Hondomachi quickly stomped on Akihito’s foot, a bit annoyed. He tried to cover up his painful expression after saying that. Muku looked at them, confused but felt a bit relieved. Hondomachi at first seemed to have an expression of a stern young woman.

But after her Dad’s remark, she might not be so scary after all.

“I’m not _that_ short, Narihisago-san!” Hondomachi exclaimed, elbowing him, “You didn’t need to say that…”

“Sorry,” Akihito muttered, “Just wanted to say that your appearance can make Muku less afraid of you. She needs someone to protect her from the killers, and you did a good job with the last case…”

Hondomachi blushed at his praise and nodded. It felt like a long time since she had been appreciated by someone. Narihisago needed her and wanted her so that she could protect his daughter. Muku stood by, resting on a bench nearby. After Akihito’s and Hondomachi’s chatter, they told her about visiting a park first.

“Muku, we’re going to visit Happo-en Garden first. It’s a great place to take photographs there. After that, we can go check out some other places…”

Muku shook her head in dismay. Her Dad just wanted an excuse to take photos again.

“Please don’t make us only stay in the parks, Dad,” Muku replied, “There’s more to the city than just that.”

“I know, I know. We’ll find somewhere else to go after that,” Akihito muttered back, trying not to sound boring, “We’ll visit Tokyo Tower in the end. I promise.”

Hondomachi elbowed Akihito in the stomach, making him crouch down in pain.

“Don’t get so full of yourself, Narihisago-san. Let me help you find some cool places around here. Togo-san and Momoki-san are in the city today as well. I can ask her for some suggestions…”

_No! Not now. I have to get Hondomachi-san to get friendly with Muku first. That takes time!_

“Dad? Are you okay?” Muku asked, poking him, “Hondomachi-san is pretty rowdy with you.”

“I-I’m fine, Muku. J-Just get along with her please…”

Muku looked up to see Hondomachi poking Akihito too, trying to get him to move. She looked back at Muku and smiled. Narihisago’s daughter might not be so bad after all.

“Well, then. This trip might not be so bad after all,” Hondomachi chuckled, “Let’s get moving.”

Momoki and Togo rested near a vending machine with some drinks before they went towards a nearby park. It was called Odaiba Seaside Park. Not far from them, the coastal shores and sand breezed close to them. A bridge overlooked the park, making it a great scene for tourists and travelers alike to take photos together.

“So, you chose to go to a park first?” Togo said, clutching one of his arms, “That’s nice that you chose such a beautiful seaside scenery. It’s pretty nice to look at during the day.”

Momoki closed his eyes and scratched his head. He still needed some time to concentrate and discuss some more details with Togo, and a park seemed like a decent natural place to chat. They could also warm up at the park before going into the more urban attractions in Minato City.

“Everyone’s ending was so different from each other’s,” Momoki muttered, “Habutae-san’s ending was for the man to turn himself in, Shiratake-san’s ending was for the man to be suspicious of the police due to what they asked him, and Wakashika-san’s ending was to have the man investigate on his own. They sounded like typical answers.”

“And you already heard mine,” Togo answered back, “Have you thought about your own ending to the story?”

“Why would the Chief tell that sort of story to everyone?” Momoki said, looking at the trees around them as they walked, “There must be something to it.”

They continued walking along the park path, leading them to the other side of the shore. They had found some restaurants and small local eateries near them as they got towards the edge of the park. Togo suggested that they head out to get something to eat, since it was close to lunchtime.

“Momoki-san, the Chief said that the story was to see people’s inner desires and wishes. Although I don’t see the point of doing that through that, I can sort of understand why he would do that. It might probably explain what kind of people he is working with.”

“A man of many faces,” Momoki said, thinking to himself, “Could it have something to do with the masks that society wears in different parts of life? He mentioned having one for work, home and police…”

Togo slowly dragged Momoki out of the park and into the nearby eateries.

“How about some food first. It could probably help clear up your head a bit.”

But before Momoki could respond, she dragged him through the door for lunch.

At Happo-en Garden, Akihito was looking for a spot to take good photographs. The park was rife with beautiful cherry blossom trees around them. There were a couple small lakes that were furnished with some traditional Japanese posts and a few pagodas. The pagodas faced the lakes, giving a serene atmosphere to the place. There were many other people walking in the park, with some families and couples around them.

Akihito walked up ahead while Muku and Hondomachi stayed behind, talking to each other.

“What should I call you?” Hondomachi asked Muku, “It could get confusing with two Narihisagos. How about Narihisago-chan?”

“That’s fine,” Muku answered, “What about you?”

“Hondomachi-san is fine. Say, has everything been alright? Nothing troublesome at school?”

Muku nodded and looked down on the ground. Her Dad had been doing everything he could to keep them safe, even though some actions seemed a bit rash. But he meant well and didn’t want their family to be ruined because of this.

After their snack of onigiri, Akihito had planned for them to have lunch nearby after they went through some of the park and took photographs. They were closer to the other attractions as well, so that Hondomachi could lead them somewhere else immediately afterwards.

“Look! I found us a good spot,” Akihito said, pointing to a koi pond near them with a small waterfall, “There are rocks around the area to give us a good background to take pictures in.”

But Hondomachi seemed unsurprised by Akihito’s remark. She shook her head and came forward to check his camera. It was already filled with photos of some of the park. He had gone ahead of them, taking pictures of the park landscape around them to let the two of them talk with each other.

“Clever, aren’t you? Going on ahead taking photographs while leaving us behind.”

Akihito smiled nervously and tried to hide his embarrassment. He just wanted to give Hondomachi and Muku time to talk to each other while he took his time exploring the surroundings.

“You got me, Hondomachi-san,” Akihito chuckled back, “Now, do you mind standing over there for some photo shoots?”

He pointed towards the small waterfall near them, that was covered with bits of rock to create a small path around the koi pond. A few couples were taking photos near them, and Akihito wanted to take some photos with Muku and Hondomachi in it. It would be a shame if he only took photos of just the landscape and not his own group.

“Narihisago-chan, do you want to come? Your Dad wants to take pictures of you!”

Muku hesitated for a bit before coming forward. Akihito smiled a bit as he saw her try to make herself comfortable with Hondomachi. He tried to pat her head, but she quickly grabbed his hand and put it down.

_Did I go too far trying to get Muku and Hondomachi-san close with each other? Was that a bad idea?_

“How about you take photos of me first? Hondomachi-san can wait…”

Hondomachi giggled at Muku’s remark. She pushed Muku forward to let Akihito take some photos for her first. She looked around the park to see if anyone was following them before sitting nearby.

“I’ll be nearby looking over the pagoda not too far from here,” she said, waving at them, “Have fun taking photos of you two!”

Akihito sighed. He showed Muku where to stand and to do many poses. Hondomachi came later and he took photos of the two of them side by side. Not too long after, someone else also came to take photos for them so that the three of them could be in the picture.

_So far so good. I can show some of these photos to Aya-chan later tonight after she comes back from visiting her relatives…_

Akihito rested while he checked his camera, looking at the photographs he took. Muku and Hondomachi were talking about how Akihito had pushed them to do many different poses around the pond, such as standing on the rocks and being near the water to look at the koi fish swimming in them.

“At least they’re talking with each other now,” Akihito said, sitting on a bench nearby, “Hopefully, Muku won’t mind her being her bodyguard this time. I don’t want to scare her with strangers when she goes out…”

He then took out his phone to check the time. It was getting close to lunchtime.

“Not a bad start for the day, maybe I should ask Hondomachi-san for a good restaurant recommendation nearby…”

But as he finished his sentence, he suddenly felt an eerie prickly sensation around him.

It felt like he was being watched.

_This feeling again. This is the same feeling I had when I was at Muku’s school festival a few years ago…_

He quickly examined his surroundings, but there was no one there. There weren’t many people in the park right now, so it confused him on why he had that intuition in the first place. He went over to Muku and Hondomachi not far from him and asked if they had felt anything during the photo shootings.

“I don’t think we saw anybody around here that looked at us, Narihisago-san,” Hondomachi whispered, “Did something happen?”

“No, no. Nothing happened. I-I was just making sure that everything’s fine.”

But Akihito’s expression said otherwise. He was wary about the park already. There definitely was someone watching him a while ago. But he couldn’t scare Muku like this. He had to adjust his plans quickly.

“Hondomachi-san, do you know of any good places for lunch around here? It’s already close to noon.”

Hondomachi shook her head at his suggestion. Muku was by their side, confused on what was going on. She looked back at her Dad, who was putting away his camera into his bag for later.

“Sure, I know a good place to eat around here. I’ll show you two the way.”

Meanwhile, Momoki and Togo finished eating their lunch and were looking for more places to go around Minato City. Togo had suggested that they go to Zojoji Temple, which was very close to Tokyo Tower. It was one of the famous landmarks in Tokyo and was a Buddhist temple that held the remains of some Tokugawa shoguns.

It tended to be one of the popular tourist destinations for travelers as well.

“There are a lot of people here today,” Momoki muttered, looking overhead at the main gate in front of them, “Wonder when we can find Narihisago’s group…”

“They said that they will arrive here later,” Togo answered, “But since it’s so big and crowded here right now, we might not be able to find them easily.”

Nearby, there was a monkey performance going on inside the Zojoji Temple Main Hall not far from them. A small crowd had gathered around it to watch the monkey do stunts. After the monkey finished performing, the crowd applauded before going to the other areas of the temple.

“How about we go inside the gates for now?” Togo said, checking the time, “They can come tell us where they were later. Hondomachi-san did say that we’ll meet up in Tokyo Tower together anyway.”

“Good point. Since we’re here, might as well explore the temple grounds here.”

And so, Momoki and Togo went inside the Main Gate to check out the place.

A few hours later, Hondomachi took Akihito and Muku to Zojoji Temple. The crowd had lessened since it was a few hours past noon, but there were still many people due to it being the weekend. She checked her phone and glanced around for Momoki and Togo.

They were nowhere to be seen, but the crowds of people inside the temple could have hidden their presence inside the area.

“Maybe they went inside,” Hondomachi muttered, scratching her head, “Are you two ready to go to Zojoji Temple?”

She looked back to find Akihito taking his camera out and Muku nodding back. They went inside to see the monkey performance still ongoing, and another crowd formed around them. Muku had tried to touch the monkey to no avail, but it ended up just giving her a high five, in which Akihito managed to snap a photo of their interaction.

“Excellent posture, Muku! Aya-chan would love this!”

Akihito snapped a few more shots over the temple grounds, which were large and wide and filled with people. There was the Main Hall in front of them, with many other areas such as the Big Bell, the Kyozo and the Koshoden.

Up ahead, there was the Mausoleum of the Tokugawa shoguns and the Ankokuden.

“According to the guide, this Buddhist temple was famous for having the tombs of the shoguns from the Edo period,” Hondomachi said, looking over the temple grounds, “The temple got relocated to this area after the shogunate Ieyasu Tokugawa moved his ruling providential government to Edo in 1598. Since then, this has been one of the main Buddhist temples in Tokyo.”

“Interesting,” Muku answered, looking around her. There were some people looking at the Big Bell nearby, which hadn’t rung for a while.

“They ring that bell twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. It is rung six times each time it chimes. It symbolizes the purification of the _bonno_ , or the one hundred and eighty earthly passions that lead people astray.”

Akihito walked not far from them when Muku came forward to ask when they were going to Tokyo Tower. He pointed towards the towering red and white structure not too far from them. The Zojoji Temple is seated underneath the Tokyo Tower skyline, making it a perfect spot to take photos in the area.

“Muku, is everything okay? You’re not talking with Hondomachi-san again?”

Muku sighed. She knew that her Dad wanted her to be friendly with Hondomachi so that she could get familiar with her. But sometimes, she also wanted to talk to him too.

“Dad, will everything really be fine? You sound worried all the time whenever you’re with me…”

_Muku really knows that I’m bluffing, huh. But I got to be normal, for her and the family…_

Akihito smiled softly and looked at the crowds around them. Hondomachi came running forward to show them some neat places in the Zojoji Temple to look at and offered some great viewing areas to Tokyo Tower. He snapped some more photos before offering to take some pictures of Muku and Hondomachi again.

“Again? You do that in _every_ location we go to!”

“Calm down, Muku,” Akihito chuckled, “Your Mom would like to have some more photos of you growing bigger every year. I’m helping her with that. No need to take everything out on me.”

After some chattering and teasing, Akihito managed to take some great photos for Muku, Hondomachi and himself. He smiled as he went through some photos on his camera, checking for any faults and light problems that might require editing or retakes.

_Everything seems to be going well. I’ll need to take Muku and Hondomachi-san to Tokyo Tower soon. We’ll also be meeting up with Momoki and Togo-san there._

Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes watching him from the distance. It was the same feeling that he got from Happo-en Garden that morning. They seemed to have followed them here.

_Keep calm. I can’t scare Muku with my worried expression again, she noticed already…_

Akihito looked around for anyone suspicious in the crowd but there was no one sticking out in the open. It felt like his mind was playing paranoia tricks on him again. He might be overthinking things again.

“Last time I thought I was overreacting, Momoki discovered some strange people in my photographs,” Akihito said, thinking to himself, “I might need to snap some more photos of the crowds around me to see if I notice anything…”

He got up from the resting bench and went to check up on Muku and Hondomachi. They were busy looking inside the Koshoden, which was a lecture hall filled with beautiful pictures of flowering plants on the ceiling. They were staring in awe until Akihito interrupted Hondomachi by tapping on her shoulder.

“Enjoying this place, Narihisago-san? What is it?”

He asked if it was possible that Momoki and Togo were still on the temple grounds, and if they were just messing with them by hiding in the crowds.

“Well, I’m not sure about that. We haven’t been able to find them yet and it’s already been an hour or so. This place is pretty big though.”

Akihito tried to remain calm, looking back at the crowds in the other areas of the temple.

“Togo-san already said that they were here earlier, so they would have been done checking out this place by now. Is something the matter?”

“I-It’s nothing, really. Just double checking,” Akihito replied back, “Maybe it’s about time that we get ready to go to Tokyo Tower. How much time do we have left?”

Hondomachi took out her phone and checked the time. They still had some time left. She then noticed that Akihito was still holding onto his camera.

“You’re still going to take _more_ photos? I thought you were done already and were checking them at the bench.”

“I…uh want to take some last minute snapshots of the area before we leave, okay? Just wait a while, please.”

Hondomachi raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. She pushed Akihito back outside so that he wouldn't distract Muku from looking around the Koshoden. Afterwards, she gestured to him to get his things done before they left for Tokyo Tower.

“Thank you, Hondomachi-san. Please watch over Muku a little longer…”

And Akihito began to snap photos of the crowds around him, looking for any possible suspicious people that could appear in them. If Momoki managed to find them, maybe he could too.

_I’ll have to see for myself. I can’t just do nothing._

And so, Akihito went to take some pictures of the crowds around him while he waited for Muku and Hondomachi to finish exploring the temple grounds.

Momoki and Togo walked into Tokyo Tower and bought tickets. They looked up to find that there was an extra admission fee to go on both the Main Deck and the Top Deck. In order to view the Top Deck, it required a reservation, which they didn’t have time for. There was an option to use the staircase to climb the tower again, which gave Momoki some hesitation about going up that way again.

“Do you want to wait for them or go up already?” Togo asked, checking her phone, “They should be arriving soon. They were near the Zojoji Temple last time Hondomachi-san called, so they’re probably not that far away.”

But Momoki didn’t want to climb the staircase again. He just wanted to go on the usual elevator up to the Main Deck. It could get dark anyway, and he didn’t want to be stuck on it while climbing up like last time.

“M-Maybe we should go in first,” Momoki muttered back, “We got the tickets to go on the Main Deck, and the staircase is an optional path. Narihisago will probably take his time climbing up taking photos with Muku-chan and Hondomachi-san anyway…”

But Togo felt some wariness in his voice, showing that he really didn’t want to go up the staircase. Knowing Narihisago, it was kind of obvious which path he would take again.

“Fine,” Togo said, dragging Momoki to the elevator, “We can just wait for them at the Main Deck. We can spend some time looking at Minato City while we wait…”

Someone was at the elevator, in which Togo showed him both their tickets. He pressed a few buttons and they slowly went up. The backdrop of the elevator showed the city’s surroundings, which showed multiple skyscrapers and bridges and coastal areas around them.

“Welcome to the Main Deck,” he said as he showed them out of the elevator. Other tourists and families came out as Momoki and Togo got out to see the scenery.

It was beautiful. Although it hadn’t gotten dark yet, the city landscape glowed from the small lights that were scattered from their windows and cars. It was early evening, so there were still red, blue, and purple tints that had just started forming in the sky. There was a souvenir shop and a small café on the Deck, so that people could enjoy the view and pick out keepsakes of their trip.

Momoki walked over to the edge of the Main Deck, to look closely at the cityscape around him. There were a few telescopes that could be used for a few yen, but there were people using it already.

Togo came over to ask what Momoki was thinking about. He had a wary far-away look on his face.

“Still thinking about the Chief’s story?”

Momoki shook his head and looked back at the landscape surrounding them.

“I think I know what kind of ending I’d want for the story…”

Not too long after, Akihito arrived at Tokyo Tower with Muku and Hondomachi. They bought their tickets to the Main Deck before looking around for Momoki and Togo. They seemed to have already gone up without them.

“Did they forget about us again?” Akihito muttered, dumbfounded, “Were you able to contact them, Hondomachi-san?”

Hondomachi took out her phone again and had gotten a text from Togo. They were already up and waiting for them there. She chuckled at the reason why.

“Momoki-san didn’t want to climb the staircase, so he went up earlier than you to wait. He told you to enjoy your time climbing up to meet them…”

She looked back up to find Akihito had already put his camera away. She edged him on, trying to get him to answer.

“So, are we going to climb the staircase or not? Narihisago-chan would like to know too.”

But Akihito was too focused on what he had felt at Happo-en Garden and Zojoji Temple, the feeling of being watched. His wandering expression had made Hondomachi and Muku worried, so they didn’t say much on why he began acting like that.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s climb up the staircase before it gets dark.”

Akihito gestured for them to go but forgot to open his camera bag again to take photo shoots while he was climbing the staircase with them. Hondomachi had to poke him to get him to respond and get his camera back out.

“Not now, Hondomachi-san. I’ll get my camera out once we’re higher up on the staircase.”

They began to climb the 600-step staircase up to the Main Deck of Tokyo Tower.

“Muku, I know that this is your first time in Tokyo Tower,” Akihito said, heaving himself up slowly up each stairway, “Hope you won’t mind climbing up the old fashioned way instead of taking the elevator.”

“That’s fine, Dad,” Muku replied, looking through the gated enclosure of the staircase, “It’s pretty neat going up like this. You’re going to take more pictures again?”

Akihito smiled a bit before he checked how far up they were. They still needed to climb a few more hundred steps, but they were in a good range to take some more photographs. He took out his camera from his bag and tried to focus.

“Narihisago-san, do you even have enough space left?” Hondomachi asked, “You took lots of photographs since we started the trip.”

“Yeah, there’s plenty. There’s enough space for everyone’s picture.”

From there, Akihito went on to take many pictures from the staircase, with Muku and Hondomachi not far from him. They climbed and climbed, slowly reaching 600 steps into the Main Deck. By the time they reached the Main Deck, the sky had turned dark.

Many lights started popping up all over the city. Tokyo Tower lit up to show its glimmer throughout the cityscape. They went inside the Main Deck to find many people still in the area, looking over the scenery around them. Hondomachi quickly took Muku to find a good spot to explore the Minato City surroundings.

“We’ll help look around, Narihisago-san,” Hondomachi muttered, “Momoki-san and Togo-san should be around here in this small crowd.”

“You want to look for them already?” Akihito answered back, “But we just got up here. They’ll probably notice us afterwards.”

Hondomachi shook her head in dismay before responding back.

“Are you stupid? It’s already dark, so it would be harder to find them right now in this dim setting. Narihisago-chan also seemed interested in self-defense too.”

“Fine, fine. We’ll look for them, then enjoy the rest of the night here. We’ll probably go out together with them for dinner afterwards…”

So, they went to look for Momoki and Togo while exploring the Main Deck.

Momoki waited for Togo while she went to get drinks for them at the café. A small crowd of people were gathered near them, looking over the city through the glass in Tokyo Tower. He sat by a table, where there were a few empty chairs around him. Momoki waited for the others to show up from their climb up from the staircase to the Main Deck.

“They should be here by now,” Momoki said, looking outside from his café seat, “I hope Narihisago-san is okay with this…”

He had reminded himself that he was here in Tokyo Tower many years before, going along with his friend on an outing to take pictures from this tower for his family. Before, Muku was too young to come here, but now she was old enough to visit this location.

As he looked out, Hondomachi came forward and tapped him on the shoulder. Momoki thought it was Togo, so he didn’t turn around immediately.

“Back already? You sure came back qui—”

Momoki turned around to see Hondomachi in front of him. She had brought Muku with her. Akihito was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Narihisago?”

“He is just exploring the Main Deck right now. I’ll go get him so that we can meet up now.”

Hondomachi left again to look for Akihito, while Muku stayed behind. She looked at Momoki for a moment before looking down on the floor. She didn’t say anything for a while before Togo came back with some drinks.

“Oh! Narihisago-san’s daughter is here,” Togo muttered, putting the drinks down, “So his group has arrived. We’re together now.”

“Seems like it,” Momoki responded, shaking his head, “Hope they enjoyed the trip. We didn’t want to bother them…”

But Togo noticed Momoki’s dreamy look, as if he were recalling a memory.

“This tower really seems nostalgic to you. Guess Narihisago-san really left a big impression on you…”

Momoki chuckled at that remark. She was right. Even though he hadn’t gone on the Tokyo Tower that often, Akihito would sometimes drag him there whenever they went to visit Tokyo. He always liked to take photos from the tower, due to the beautiful cityscapes and trying to recognize landmarks and locations.

Although there already was a bigger Observatory not too far from them, called Tokyo Skytree, he still chose to come to Tokyo Tower for the nostalgia and memories here.

_Think. Think. What should my own ending to the Chief’s story be? The story itself is a clue, but everyone seems to have their part in it…what is mine…_

Meanwhile, Akihito felt like he was being watched again. It was already getting dark, so Tokyo Tower’s indoor lighting was a little dim. Looking around him, all he saw was just crowds of tourists in different corners of the tower. The café near him was bustling with people at the tables, drinking and eating.

_Did they manage to follow us here too? I didn’t see anybody suspicious while we were climbing the staircase…_

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

_That means that they were already here on the Main Deck before we came. I wonder if I should ask if Momoki and Togo-san saw anything strange…_

While contemplating on what to do, Akihito got some strange looks from some people. Despite carrying his camera, he wasn’t looking outside at the scenery like everyone else. He tried to act natural, but his own fear and paranoia wasn’t helping.

“There has got to be _something_ I can do; I can’t just be overthinking this…”

Then, somebody touched his shoulder and arm. Akihito freaked out for a moment before turning around to see who it was. It was Hondomachi, looking at him like he had just seen a ghost.

“Are you seriously okay? You haven’t been acting right since we were at the park this morning.”

Akihito didn’t say a word from her remark. After all, she was right. She knew that he had been acting all day so that he wouldn’t scare Muku about them being watched.

“Not saying anything, huh,” Hondomachi muttered, grabbing his arm tightly, “I know that you’re worried about Narihisago-chan, but please. For her, please act more natural.”

Some people were staring at them again, so she took Akihito to a nearby wall where there were less people looking at them.

“From what I had gotten from your daughter, she seemed to have limited herself a lot since moving to Tokyo. She didn’t want to cause any trouble for you. It was kind of sad…”

Akihito looked away from Hondomachi, feeling helpless with his attempts to make Muku’s life feel as normal as possible since the last two cases.

It seemed like Muku noticed it right away but had gone along with his plan so that things could feel somewhat normal.

“…A new city. A new life. A new job. Only to get faced with another killer targeting her. Narihisago-chan probably didn’t say it to you directly because she was afraid that you could get too extreme on limiting her activities. She didn’t want to get shackled by fear and paranoia.”

_Then, was getting Muku a bodyguard a bad decision? Did I limit her too much?_

“If that is the case,” Akihito muttered under his breath, “Is getting Muku a bodyguard the right choice?”

_Maybe Hondomachi-san made her decision already. She might not accept the position after all…I guess I failed today…_

But Hondomachi giggled at Akihito’s remark. She sounded sarcastic and relaxed compared to his worried expression.

“Come on, Narihisago-san,” she replied, elbowing him, “I’m not that heartless. I understand your position in this matter. You want your daughter to not feel so afraid in the city, and you want her to not be afraid of her bodyguard. Someone like a companion.”

“Wait, does that mean—”

Hondomachi nodded. It seemed like she was going to accept being Muku’s bodyguard. Maybe all that effort of trying to get her close with Muku during this trip would not be wasted after all.

“Yes. I’ll accept your offer of being Narihisago-chan’s bodyguard.”

Momoki, Togo and Muku waited for Akihito and Hondomachi to come towards the café. They arrived not too long after, apologizing for being late. Togo had bought Muku a drink while they waited, so they were the only ones left without anything to drink.

“Sorry for the delay,” Akihito said under his breath, “Good thing Hondomachi-san found me before I took too many photos again…”

“You weren’t kidding about that,” Hondomachi muttered back, “Did you manage to take a picture of everything you wanted here?”

Akihito scratched his head and thought for a moment.

Hondomachi had suggested that he take some photos he wanted first, because he was here in Tokyo Tower and not stick out too much. Afterwards, she could help him in looking for any possible suspicious people around them that had been watching him. But to no avail, they couldn’t find anybody.

There were just too many tourists around them.

“I also can’t take photos of just the crowd either,” Akihito said, sighing in dismay, “It would look suspicious and not normal. Usually, people would want to take photos near the cityscape around them. They won’t take pictures of the building like this…”

“You can take photos of me near them,” Hondomachi suggested, “I can help pose for you.”

It sounded like a good idea, but he wasn’t sure. He had already taken many pictures of the crowds at Zojoji Temple beforehand to search through later, and he didn’t know if there was much space left for his normal pictures inside his camera.

“We can do that,” Akihito said, looking down on the floor with his camera in hand, “But I also want to take some normal photos here too. It would be regretful to not take pictures of Muku here just because I was paranoid about somebody watching us…”

Hondomachi didn’t say anything from his answer. She took a while to respond.

“Maybe we can lessen the amount of photos taken of the crowds then. Probably just the corners of the Main Deck where there are many people could help.”

And so, Akihito and Hondomachi took some pictures around the crowds after he took some basic landscape photos on the Main Deck. They had quickly finished and then rushed back to meet up with the others.

“Do you two also want some drinks?” Togo asked, “I can buy them for you.”

“Thank you for the offer, Togo-san,” Akihito replied, “But I think I’ll buy the drinks for Hondomachi-san and myself just fine.”

“Dad, can I go check out the Main Deck?” Muku asked, finishing her drink, “You can text or call me back to take photos later.”

Akihito took out his phone to check the time. They still had some time left. The crowd was thinning as it was getting late, but they could all go out for dinner together afterward. For now, they could take a breather.

He couldn't worry too much in front of his co-workers and Muku.

“Sure, go ahead. I have something to do real quick.”

Muku quickly put down her drink and left for a while to explore the Main Deck by herself.

“Well then, I’ll now be taking Hondomachi-san,” Togo said, taking Hondomachi to a different side of the café, “I’ll be borrowing her for a while and be getting her a drink anyway. Have fun, Momoki-san!”

She quickly grabbed Hondomachi, leaving Akihito and Momoki alone at the café table. Since he hadn’t ordered his drink yet, he abruptly went back up to get his drink at the counter before coming back to chat with him.

“Narihisago, it’s been a while,” Momoki muttered, taking another sip while looking outside, “Now that you’re back at Tokyo Tower after so long, has everything been going well?”

Akihito sipped at his drink before replying back. He looked out from the windows as they sat from the café area. It reminded him of his time in Tokyo Tower, many years ago. It had been a while since the two of them had a private conversation together, due to their previous cases with Kura and Momoki’s persistence on checking up on him.

“It’s been going alright,” Akihito answered back, feeling a bit melancholy, “This place really does leave memories. How’s it going with Togo-san?”

“Trying to take care of me,” Momoki chuckled back, shaking his head, “Seems like her actions of ghosting me might have to do with me. Now that we’re together again, things have been picking back up…”

“That’s good,” Akihito said, sipping his drink again, “So, do you think I’m making the right choices?”

“What do you mean?”

Akihito sighed. He put a hand on his chin, trying to think.

“Like, giving Muku a bodyguard. With how things are going now, she really needs more protection. Do you think I’m going too far with this?”

Momoki took another sip of his drink.

“Narihisago, I don’t know. But based on your actions, you really do care about your family. From what I have seen, you really want Hondomachi-san to be Muku-chan’s bodyguard, right?”

Akihito nodded at his remark.

“Well, she showed that she can protect Muku with the Brander case. At least this time, she didn’t see the killer unlike the previous cases. I hope this can help mitigate the problem, even a little…”

Momoki smiled a little from relief. At least Narihisago wasn’t ignoring him on purpose. He had his reasons for focusing on protecting his family from future killers that might target them again.

“Thanks for the explanation. If Hondomachi-san accepts the job, she can be Muku-chan’s bodyguard.”

Akihito’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What? I didn’t think you would allow it so quickly. What about the Chief’s approval? I don’t know how Matsuoka-san would react to all this…”

“I’ll manage. Didn’t you basically take Hondomachi-san on a trip with you and Muku-chan just so she can warm up to your daughter? That’s very clever of you. We saw it coming from a mile away.”

“You got me,” Akihito muttered, holding back his chuckle, “Of course you did. We’re all detectives here.”

They sat and enjoyed their time together in the café. Later, Togo and Hondomachi came back from their small talk and Muku finished exploring the Main Deck. While they were all together, Akihito suggested taking photos of everyone on the Main Deck, followed by posing in various corners of the lit up cityscape around them.

After all, they were here together in Tokyo Tower for tonight.

Momoki closed his eyes, thinking about his ending to the Chief’s story.

_The man of many faces didn’t want to do this job anymore. All he wanted was a normal life and to be with his family and friends again. Especially his best friend._

_He didn’t want to negatively influence someone he cared about._

_In the end, the man risked his life to protect them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wait! This is another cooldown chapter.  
> Next case, someone familiar is coming! :D  
> This might be the last cooldown chapter before things start going downhill.  
> Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> Beta and Edit by Ayden


	15. The Perforator (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Perforator ( Part 1, Part 2)
> 
> 5TH CASE: THE PERFORATOR

File 15: The Perforator (Part 1)

_Drip._

_Drip. Drip._

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

_The sound of water hit my ears again. I felt cold and bare, as if I were lying in a pool of water. The sound kept repeating around me, making me feel dizzy and confused._

_"Am I inside a dream again?”_

_I opened my eyes to find myself dressed as Sakaido again. I looked around me to find two bodies floating near me. We were in a pool of shallow water, inside a circular shaped well. Some dim and sharp lights hit my face as I looked up towards the bleak opening above me._

_Kaeru-chan was nearby, seemingly far away. I couldn’t seem to get any reaction from her this time, as her dead eyes glared into mine. She turned away from me as I slowly got up._

_“Kaeru-chan?”_

_But she didn’t utter a word this time, and instead pointed at the bodies near me. They were turned face down so that I couldn’t see their faces. Upon looking closer, I saw that they were my wife and daughter again._

_I turned their bodies around and saw a hole on the front side of their heads. Someone had drilled them in. There was a small amount of blood in the water around their bodies, so I turned them over to give them some sense of rest._

_Next to them, there was a drill with bits of blood on its tip._

_“A drill again…”_

_After a moment of silence, I heard the sound of water droplets again. It seemed to point towards Kaeru-chan. Looking up, I saw two figures coming out of the shadows of the well._

_One of them was John Walker._

_But the other one was carrying a drill._

_I thought Kaeru-chan was going to get killed by the new killer, but he came towards me instead. He jumped on me before I could retaliate and fight back. The sounds of drills were suddenly close to me._

_“Kill him.”_

_The man slowly inched his drill at my forehead, just like he did to my family near me. Kaeru-chan was shrieking but was soon muffled by John Walker. I tried to push back but wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t see what happened to her._

_But I saw a faint speckle of butterflies…_

_The drill inched closer and closer towards my head…_

_I felt a sharp pain pierce my skull…_

_Is this how I’ll die this time?_

Akihito opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling above him. He quickly touched his forehead, expecting a hole or some blood spilling from it. Thankfully, there was nothing there. He closed his eyes to recall the nightmare he just had.

_Another dream. Another case. Will Muku be in danger again?_

His repeated nightmares had given him varied forms of warnings, such as their weapons and how they killed their victims. Kaeru-chan was always there, and now John Walker started appearing in his dreams as well. And the butterflies.

“There must be something to it, these dreams aren’t a coincidence…”

Akihito slowly got up from his makeshift bed. He still didn’t want to frighten Ayako with his nightmares again. He looked back at the table full of photographs with his laptop half open from investigating the images he had during the Tokyo Tower trip.

They were scattered all over his desk, making organizing them a bit of a hassle. Ayako had left some onigiri on the desk so that he had something to eat when he got up.

“Still nothing suspicious,” Akihito muttered, taking a bite of onigiri, “I wonder if I didn’t take the angles properly to find anyone around me.”

He had checked for any suspicious people on his photographs, which Momoki had managed to pinpoint a few years back. Somehow, he failed to recognize anybody dressed strangely.

_Doesn’t help that the places were full of tourists too. So, I can’t tell if someone is dressed strangely on purpose or is just a clueless tourist…_

Akihito closed his eyes, trying to think. If he couldn’t find anyone suspicious this time, could it mean that they could be watching from the security cameras instead?

_This isn’t helping. If I really was being watched from the security cameras, how can I know who is behind it?_

“I probably might need to ask Momoki again, but I don’t know if I should…”

Even though he had a pleasant chat with his friend, their conversations felt like they were speaking riddles to each other. Momoki hadn’t mentioned asking about his dreams, and he did mention about the mysterious door that was on the same floor as the cockpit room and Kura Prison. He didn’t know whether or not that would help him or not with that kind of information.

“At least Momoki isn’t asking anything too personal this time. He is still suspicious about Asukai-san’s whereabouts and Kura…”

Akihito shook his head and clenched his hands together on the table. His dreams had been messing with his memories as well, such as having a strange sense of déjà vu whenever he saw Kaeru-chan inside the well dressed as Sakaido. Momoki had mentioned how much she looked like Kiki before, but his mind couldn’t comprehend it.

It felt like they were two different people. Not the same girl.

“Even if Momoki just sees Asukai-san, all I see is Kaeru-chan. Even if he told me that I met her a few years ago at the hospital, I still can’t seem to be able to remember anything lately…”

Looking over the pile of photos to the side of him, Akihito quickly organized them a bit so that he could separate some of them from the ones for his investigation and the other for family purposes. It seemed like he would have to investigate more for another time.

He then heard a click on the door and Ayako slowly came into the photography room.

“Aki-kun, Hondomachi-san came to pick Muku up. Do you want to say anything to her?”

“Coming, Aya-chan. Thanks for the reminder…”

Akihito got up from the photography room and went near the front door, where Hondomachi and Muku were. She was putting a pin on top of Muku’s hair, which looked similar to the hairpin that she was wearing. It resembled cherry blossoms based on their design.

“What are you putting on her hair, Hondomachi-san?” Akihito asked, “Muku, are you fine with the arrangements?”

“Calm down, Narihisago-san. I put it there for a reason. I’ll explain to Narihisago-chan after I talk to you real quick.”

Hondomachi then took off her shoes, laid them near the front door and led Akihito to another room. Muku and Ayako seemed surprised but didn’t say anything. They thought that it could be some work-related information that they weren’t allowed to listen into. She took him to the nearest open room, which happened to be the photography room that he had just woken up from.

She saw his cluttered bedsheets and the mess inside the room. The photographs were still on the table, organized a bit before Ayako went into the room to get him.

“Did you just wake up?” Hondomachi muttered, “Did I come too early?”

“N-No, I don’t think so,” Akihito answered, trying to lessen the awkwardness, “Wait, why are you judging my room in the first place? What do you want?”

Hondomachi shook her head at Akihito’s reply, and looked around the photography room. She noticed that he had still been checking the photos from their Tokyo Tower trip not too long ago.

“Still nothing?” Hondomachi asked, “Narihisago-san, I have something to show you.”

She slowly took out her flower hairpin and showed it to Akihito, who saw a small blinking light emitting from it. It looked like a tracking device disguised as a hair accessory.

“I put this on myself and Narihisago-chan so that Kura can find us if we’re ever in danger. She has the same design as mine, so it might be troublesome to tell who is who, but since we’re always together because I’m her bodyguard, it should be fine. Are you alright with this?”

Akihito looked closer at the hairpin. It looked delicate and looked like it could break from a single touch. He wondered if it would be safe and if it had been tested before. It looked the same as Hondomachi’s typical flower hairpin, but with an upgrade to keep track of their movements.

“Better than nothing. It won’t be that easy for someone to recognize that it’s a tracking device,” Akihito answered, “Is there anything else you want to show me?”

He had noticed that Hondomachi was also hiding something inside her bag. She had been shuffling the contents within it after discussing the hairpin with him. She gently pulled out a small but sturdy looking object from the bag.

It looked like a tracking device with a smaller meter that indicated direction. Hondomachi explained that the Wakamusubi detects killer intent particles from its device, and it can even pinpoint the direction of the particles. Its relatively small size made it easy to handle and put in their bags.

“Too bad that sometimes the killer particles can be blown away from the crime scene, so it might be a hit or miss. But it can easily capture the killing intent if we’re being followed or ambushed. It doesn’t have a tracking GPS on it due to security reasons, which is why we have those hairpins instead.”

She turned around and noticed Akihito’s confused expression.

“Hondomachi-san, why are you showing me this? Isn’t this breaching the secrecy of the device?”

Hondomachi chuckled from his question. She seemed to know what she was doing by revealing the information to him.

“Aren’t you already worried enough? I just wanted to tell you that so that you know what Hondomachi is capable of. There are many safety measures in place to keep your daughter safe. For today, Narihisago-chan wants to go try real pizza from the Italian restaurants. Lately, she had been trying to replicate the taste of it using toast and discussing recipes with me. I wonder why…”

Akihito turned his head, hiding his embarrassment from Hondomachi’s glance. His influence probably made Muku want to try real pizza after he made pizza toast for breakfast one morning. Japan’s pizzas tended to have mayonnaise in them and other seafood ingredients, giving it a milder and different taste from the real thing.

From the looks of it, Muku probably found a good Italian restaurant to try their pizza in another city. Hondomachi would be a perfect companion and bodyguard for her. They would look like two close friends walking together in the city.

“Also, since I’ll be on bodyguard duty, Matsuoka-san might have a different co-worker with him this time. So, if you see someone unfamiliar next to him, it’s just another worker taking my place. Narihisago-san, there’s going to be another case today. Get ready for it.”

“Already?” Akihito muttered in surprise, “They stopped investigating the Brander’s death?”

“Seems so. Probably put on hold for now. They probably couldn’t afford to delay any more cases coming their way. So, you should get ready for more work and start diving at Kura again,” Hondomachi said, winking at him, “Sorry for wasting your time when you just got up a while ago. You’re nicer than you look…”

Akihito shook his head at Hondomachi’s remark, and they left the room afterwards. After Hondomachi gave Akihito some more details on their next case, she left with Muku to go to another city not far from them to try some real Italian pizza. He stood dumbfounded by the door as the two left.

“Aki-kun, you should really get ready for work,” Ayako said, checking the time, “Hondomachi-san was hesitant to say that to you. That’s why she came by to pick up Muku so early…”

Akihito looked out the wide open door in front of them. He saw Hondomachi and Muku at the bottom, walking towards the nearest train station. They already seemed to be comfortable with each other by the way they talked. Muku had some days off from her high school due to some preparations for the festival, and she had finished her homework and assignments early.

It was one of the few free days that she had before preparing to study for college exams next year.

“Can’t believe it’s already been a year since we moved to Tokyo,” Ayako said, smiling meekly at Akihito, “Let’s hope everything goes well…”

Akihito looked back at her in response, before looking down on the floor.

_If only it were true. But the serial killer case says otherwise. Hondomachi-san, please protect Muku. If you could do it last time, you can do it again…_

Rushing to work, Akihito arrived at the Kura Building for another briefing of a new case that they were getting. Wakashika had given him some basic information about what was going on. He quickly pointed towards the man standing next to Matsuoka, while they were getting some information about the next killer.

“His name is Tsukimaru Nishimura. Looks like he is another one of Matsuoka-san’s close co-workers apart from Hondomachi-san…”

Akihito looked up at the man not far from them. He looked pretty tall and had spiky short brown hair. His suit looked the same as everyone else’s, and he wore a dark blue tie. He looked to be around Matsuoka’s height and looked more of an equal than how subordinary Hondomachi looked from how short she was next to him.

“Narihisago-san, are you feeling okay?” Wakashika asked, looking over their papers they got from their briefing, “Seems like it’s another new serial killer again. I hope Hondomachi-san is fine not being part of the mission for once. She’s probably too busy having fun with your daughter…”

_Welp. At least Hondomachi-san has the Wakamusubi just in case they get targeted again. I hope Muku is safe outside on her own like this…_

Akihito looked back on the papers they got on the next serial killer.

The Perforator. A serial killer who kills his victims by drilling a hole into their skull.

A few of the victims had survived but most died from their head wound. One of them was still missing. It looked like the killer had chosen some people at random and let them live several days before they were killed. They still hadn’t found his whereabouts, but an id well had been found from the last crime scene.

“Nishimura-san, it’s about time we investigate the crime scene,” Matsuoka muttered in the background, “We would be split up into teams as usual, while Momoki-san deals with the id well here to see if we can find a clue on where the killer is hiding.”

Matsuoka shifted his head and glared at Akihito for a moment before turning back on his conversation with Nishimura. They were discussing their plans of movement with another team on ambushing the killer. They had managed to find his hideout, rescuing a victim there, but the killer was nowhere to be found.

It was like he suddenly ran off to do something while he was in the middle of keeping a victim hostage.

“Narihisago-san.”

Akihito blinked and snapped out of his daze. Matsuoka was looking at him, trying to talk to him. Wakashika had been poking his shoulder to get him to respond but didn’t know what else to say to the stern-looking Matsuoka standing by their table.

“What is it, Matsuoka-san? Do you need anything from me?”

Matsuoka sighed before putting his hand on the table to reassert himself. More people were leaving the meeting room while he looked straight into Akihito’s face, showing his slightly worried expression. He had tried to remain professional during the briefing, but he held back on expressing his view on Hondomachi’s recent duty as Muku’s bodyguard.

“Narihisago-san, are you satisfied with Hondomachi-san risking her life to be your daughter’s bodyguard? Are you satisfied at all?!”

“Matsuoka-san, what are you talking about?” Wakashika muttered, trying to relieve the tension, “Isn’t his daughter in enough danger already? Momoki-san and the Chief approved of Hondomachi-san being her bodyguard a few months ago. Are you still going on about that?”

Matsuoka shook his head at Wakashika’s remark and didn’t say anything. Ever since Hondomachi went on bodyguard duty, he needed another assistant to help him with dealing with the aftermath of the previous cases as well as looking into the new cases that they were getting.

Even though Hondomachi had been safe and sound throughout her bodyguard patrol, Matsuoka always felt uneasy about her safety. He felt like Akihito’s curse might fall upon her as well, not just his daughter. Attracting serial killers.

After all, it seemed like it had followed him into the new city.

There was also the strangeness of the recent serial killer’s deaths inside Kura Prison. Even though the pattern seemed random, it always seemed to occur during specific days of the week. Everyone had speculated it to be some curse that had fallen upon Kura Prison ever since they tried to get a new prisoner in without dying. Even though Momoki was hesitant to take another serial killer to Kura Prison after capture for the next case, the Chief insisted.

“There is nothing strange about Kura Prison, Matsuoka-san. It only looks like the killers just killed themselves in order to not face judgement in their lives. You are just overthinking this.”

“B-But Chief Hayaseura, something isn’t right! There are too many inconsistencies with what’s going on! It’s possible that a human did this, not a spirit.”

But the Chief ignored him and made him focus on the cases that they were getting instead.

Meanwhile, Matsuoka glared at Akihito before taking a deep breath and sighing. They had to prepare for their mission soon on finding the Perforator. Momoki was waiting downstairs with the Chief in his office for more information.

“Never mind.”

He then turned around and left the room with Nishimura. Akihito and Wakashika looked at him, confused about what just happened. Everyone was slowly going outside the meeting room into their designated positions. It seemed like only the two of them were one of the last few people left in the room.

“Narihisago-san, I think we should start getting ready for the case,” Wakashika said, poking his shoulder, “Are you waiting for Momoki-san to come back from the Chief’s office?”

“Maybe. But you should probably go back to the Wellside Room without me, Wakashika-san. I might come by to check with everyone later, but you already know which room I’ll be in by now…”

Akihito smiled nervously as he organized the papers and documents that they had gotten from the briefing. He turned around to see Wakashika preparing to leave the meeting room as he got up from his chair.

“Well then, see you on the other side…with you as a Brilliant Detective, Narihisago-san!”

Momoki was still briefing with the Chief inside his office for the Perforator case. Matsuoka and Nishimura rushed in and apologized for being late from staying too long inside the meeting room. The Chief was discussing with them on their strategies and on how Kura would inform the outside team.

“Is everything all clear? Do you know what to do for this case?”

Momoki nodded before reciting what the Chief had planned for them to do. They were still split into two main teams as before. Matsuoka’s team was still going to look around the last location where the sixth victim was found, while Momoki’s team were going to look where the Perforator went with the id well inside Kura.

“Matsuoka-san, do you understand everything? Seems like Momoki-san understood what he should do…”

Matsuoka looked back to find Momoki hesitating before giving a response to the Chief. He appeared to look stern and serious but seemed like he didn’t want to cause more trouble with him. After giving his summary about their mission, the Chief allowed them to leave his office.

“Momoki-san, are you alright?” Matsuoka asked, touching his shoulder, “Is everything okay?”

Momoki didn’t say anything for a moment. He looked tired and wary from having to finish their preparations for the next case. The Brander’s death hadn’t fared well in Kura and had caused rumors to spread about that place inside the building.

“I-It’s nothing, Matsuoka-san. Are you still worried about Hondomachi-san?”

Matsuoka didn’t say anything from Momoki’s question as well. It felt like the two of them were confused and wary about what was going on.

“You don’t need to hide it,” Momoki muttered softly, trying not to sound disheartened, “It was for Muku-chan’s protection and she accepted it. I’m really sorry that it might impact your work by having someone else take her place during bodyguard duty. We don’t have much of a choice right now…”

Matsuoka still didn’t say anything.

“From what I had gotten from Narihisago, Hondomachi-san is with Muku-chan to taste some authentic Italian pizza. It’s in another city not far from here, so don’t worry. She’s also carrying the Wakamusubi in case another killer targets them. So, she’s probably going to be fine…”

After a while, Matsuoka sighed and stopped grasping Momoki’s shoulder. He turned away and scratched his head, thinking about what to say.

“Momoki-san, thank you for the message. Looks like we should really get going to catch the Perforator this time. We’ll figure out the cause of the killer’s deaths later…”

Momoki nodded at his response and wished them luck. Matsuoka quickly rushed with Nishimura towards their team outside the Kura Building to investigate the crime scene and give possible whereabouts about the Perforator’s location.

It felt familiar like last time with the Brander. But with a different serial killer.

Meanwhile, Muku and Hondomachi arrived at Machida City. They were checking the map and the GPS to find the Italian restaurant that they wanted to go to. Hondomachi was looking around her for anybody watching them, but there were a lot of people in certain areas, so it was hard to tell. Muku seemed relieved that they were able to blend in without being too noticeable.

“These hairpins make us look like twins,” Muku muttered, touching it, “Won’t people mistake us for being relatives rather than friends?”

“You don’t like it?” Hondomachi muttered back, pouting, “Don’t girls your age tend to like dressing up their hair and clothes?”

“No need to say it like that! Not every girl is like that…”

Muku looked off towards the distance in front of them. They still needed to walk a couple blocks before they reached the restaurant.

“Say, Hondomachi-san. Does Dad act weird at work? I-I don’t really want to bother you about any private information. All these months that you’ve walked me towards different places out in public, doesn’t it feel like I waste your time?”

Hondomachi gave herself a moment to think of an answer to Muku’s questions. She smiled meekly while patting Muku on the back.

“You don’t need to say it like that. It’s my job to protect you, Narihisago-chan. I accepted it. You’re not wasting my time at all. I actually enjoy being together with you.”

Muku smiled a bit and felt relieved from Hondomachi’s answer. They continued walking towards their destination. Many crowds of people were going back and forth on the streets and sidewalks. There were a couple street corners filled with traffic and bridges that towered over each intersection.

However, there was someone watching them. Someone dressed in a hoodie and was carrying a medium sized bag. He blended into the crowds crossing the streets and hid behind the alleyways.

It seemed like he was alone, with no one around the area supporting him.

The only noticeable feature was his gaping hole on the side of his forehead, and a massive scar on the right side of his face. He slowly moved forward, following Muku and Hondomachi a couple blocks away.

“Narihisago, are you ready to dive?”

Momoki called towards Akihito from the Wellside Room, waiting for his answer. The Kura staff were preparing their positions for another well dive. It had been a while since Kura got a new case, so everybody felt motivated again. Wakashika was busy edging Habutae and Shiratake nearby about what kind of clues they will find this time.

“I’m ready, Momoki.”

Akihito responded back through the speakers back in the Wellside Room. He sounded calm and composed from the communication system, indicating that he was ready. After a few moments of silence, Momoki asked Akihito one more time.

“Narihisago, are you sure? It’s been a while since we went inside an id well. Tell me if you feel sick or have any problems afterward…”

Akihito didn’t say much before saying once again that he was ready.

Momoki shook his head and called the Kura staff to be prepared for any clues inside the Perforator’s id well. They would still be getting information from Matsuoka’s team on the outside to help them with their investigation.

“INJECTING SAKAIDO.”

.

..

…

….

Sakaido woke up on a bed, not knowing who he was. He looked around and tried to move, only to feel himself breaking into pieces. He screamed until he calmed down, putting himself back together.

Only his left arm could not be fully put together, so he decided to leave it and look around the well.

“What is this place? Everything is in pieces…”

His eyes wandered around the place, looking for a way to move around. The floating platforms moved above his head. Slowly, he saw someone lying on top of one of the platforms. From his viewpoint, it looked like the legs of a girl.

“Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me?”

But there was no response coming from her. Sakaido struggled to find a way to get closer to her, but the fragmented pieces were floating all over the place. After thinking for a while, he decided to use his left arm to push some floating platforms together so that he could reach the girl.

_This better work. There’s no other way to jump from each fragment here. I can at least try to piece some of them together…_

In one fell swoop, Sakaido threw his left arm and grabbed the platform, gently pulling it in. It inched its way into his floating bedroom fragment, connecting each other. Afterwards, he walked towards the platform to get near the girl.

“I wonder if she’s okay, I better go check…”

Sakaido saw a door across the platform. He slowly walked towards it and tried to open it. It was locked. Looking at the floating fragments around him and his left arm, he decided to get around it by using his arm to open the door.

_Here goes. This place feels like fragmented pieces of a puzzle…_

After hearing a click from the other side of the door, Sakaido walked in to find Kaeru, dead on the floor with a knife stabbed in front of her chest. Immediately, he felt an extreme sense of déjà vu and felt a bit dizzy.

“Kaeru-chan…I know who I am now…”

Her body was whole and laid on the floor. Her blank expression didn’t startle him, but he finally knew what he should do. Putting his hand to his chin, he thought about what he should be doing.

Solve the mystery of Kaeru-chan’s death.

Matsuoka and Nishimura arrived at the house where the sixth victim’s death took place. The building looked residential, as if someone lived there. When they had found the victim, there was no one nearby to be suspected of the crime. His name was Yuji Oonuki, and he went missing and was found dead inside someone’s house. Matsuoka’s team slowly went closer towards the residential house and made sure to check if anything had changed since the discovery.

“There were no signs of forced entry inside this house, Matsuoka-san,” Nishimura said, getting information from the others, “Should we explore the house for more clues?”

“Whose house does this belong to?” Matsuoka asked, “There had been no reports about it being abandoned either. Seems like the Perforator may have committed the murders here before moving their bodies somewhere else.”

Nishimura nodded and went to check the information on the house. It was owned by the Fukuda household. There might be a clue on how they could be related to the Perforator. Momoki went downstairs towards the basement where the victim was found.

He was found on the floor with a hole drilled into his forehead in a pool of blood. The medics from the ambulance tried to save him, but it was too late. The man had died from the head wound drilled in by the Perforator.

“Where did the killer go?” Matsuoka muttered, checking the rooms again, “It looks like there’s more to this place.”

“Do you believe the killer will come back to this house?” Nishimura asked, jotting down notes, “Other parts of the house looked strange, Matsuoka-san.”

He pointed Matsuoka towards a room full of numbers scribbled all over the wall. The walls were filled with neat, organized scribbles and they even reached the ceiling. There were hints of dried blood splatters in one corner of the room.

“Interesting,” Matsuoka said, looking at the walls, “So it’s possible that this is the killer’s main hideout and possibly his home. We should be careful. It could be filled with traps.”

“Understood, Matsuoka-san,” Nishimura answered, “Let’s see if the id well information we get can pinpoint his location again…”

Matsuoka sighed and shook his head. Hondomachi was still on bodyguard duty. There was still a risk that they would be targeted again. For now, he hoped that she could help defend Muku and lead them to the killer using the Wakamusubi.

The Wakamusubi tended to react to the killer's intent by vibrating if they were nearby.

Sakaido slowly pieced together some parts of the fragments floating around the well to check their rooms. He still had to be careful about falling off the floating platforms that could break around him. It felt like the pieces could break apart at any moment.

“Kaeru-chan had a knife stab in the front of her body. It didn’t look like a suicide at all. Someone killed her…”

He had gotten out of the room to check if there were more fragments after he had pieced some of them together with his arm. Fortunately, there were. It looked to be a room of a western style house. He came across a door as he carefully walked along the platform and went in.

The first thing he spotted in the distance was a family photo frame filled with people in it. They looked like a genuine family. Bookshelves filled with books lined the corners of the room, resembling a small study. A small desk and chair were in front of the window of the room.

_It’s possible that people are living here. I wonder what it’s like to live in this fragmented world…_

After checking the small study, he continued on to the next room. This time, it looked slightly bigger and had a bigger door frame than the previous room. He pressed his ears against the door and heard chatter inside the room.

“So, there are people living here after all,” Sakaido muttered, “Maybe it’s worth a try asking about this place…”

Using his right arm, he clicked the door open to check the people inside.

“I’m sorry for intruding, I’d like to meet everyone here…”

Sakaido looked around the room and immediately spotted six people looking back at him. They seemed to be enjoying themselves inside the room, with a few playing video games while the others were resting in different corners of the room. They were also in pieces like the place itself.

“We haven’t had a visitor in so long,” said one of the people, “Who are you?”

Sakaido smiled a bit before he explained why he was here.

“Sakaido has found a room filled with people,” Togo muttered, checking for information, “They seem to be the six victims from the Perforator. Should we look into them?”

“Go ahead,” Momoki answered, looking at the well hologram, “We might get some information if Sakaido talks to them. It might not be that accurate, but we can get a feel on what the Perforator is like…”

“Like forcing all of them to be a family?” Wakashika exclaimed, “Isn’t that weird and creepy? Why would he do that to these people?”

“Let’s hope Sakaido goes back to Kaeru-san again,” Habutae muttered, “The people might give him a clue on what’s going on inside the place…”

“How’s Matsuoka-san’s team investigation?” Shiratake asked, looking at Momoki, “Have they found anything yet?”

“I don’t know,” Momoki answered back, checking his connection, “But it is indeed strange that the killer would have kept them in his home for a certain amount of time before killing them.”

“Weren’t there some survivors from the Perforator’s attacks?” Wakashika said, looking at the monitors, “Where did they go?”

“We managed to find some from the previous cases,” Togo answered back, “But it seems like Haruta Kazuta. He hasn’t been found yet. We still don’t know his whereabouts…”

“With the killer still outside and not at the home where the sixth victim was found, we would still have to rely on the id well to see if we can get something,” Momoki muttered.

With the lack of clues to go off of right now, he would have to wait for Sakaido to find more clues inside the well. The investigation had only just begun.

“Do you know this girl?”

Sakaido pointed at Kaeru who was still there, her blank green eyes staring at the fragmented ceiling floating above them. He had led the people from their room towards the body. The fragmented people looked over her dead figure and seemed confused.

“We do not know her,” one of the people said, “She’s not a part of our _family_.”

“Family?”

Sakaido went to look at Kaeru closer. If these people don’t know her either, she’s probably not related to them. She was also strangely whole. There were no missing pieces like the rest of them. He looked back at himself and his own half formed left arm. Even he himself also had missing pieces.

_There’s something strange here after all. But I got to check up on something first to make sure._

He turned around to face the fragmented people surrounding him. They looked at him as if he was a curiosity.

“Please wait a moment, I have to go somewhere for a while. I’ll be right back…”

He quickly rushed outside the floating room and looked around him. He saw glimpses of streets, houses and objects floating around him. They were in pieces, but they could also be put together, even if temporarily. It would be worth a try to piece together some parts of the well.

“Let’s see if there’s any missing pieces from the puzzle here. There are holes in everything, but they mean something…”

Sakaido quickly rushed towards one part of the well, which held the floating fragments of street corners and buildings. He started to piece some of the buildings and roads together, creating some semi-coherent form among the fragments floating around. Piece by piece, they came together to form parts of the city. He tried to create a more congruent puzzle, but there were holes in them after all.

After forming parts of the floating fragments together, he jumped towards a nearby platform to see if it formed any messages or clues from what was missing.

Above him, it read イタリア.

“Italy?”

_Why would part of the fragments form a word related to a country?_

“Sakaido has found us another clue,” Togo said, checking the monitors, “There seems to be a word imprinted in katakana related to a country ‘Italy’. Do any of the victims have any connections to Italy?”

“Togo-san, there’s unfortunately no information from the victims that has any connections to Italy,” Habutae muttered, checking some information, “Why would the killer have a word related to a country for? Would this become an international incident?”

“It would be extremely difficult if the Italian Mafia were involved,” Momoki said, closing his eyes to think, “But the Perforator’s actions and clues do not give us anything connecting us to Italy.”

“What if it has to do with something else not related to the country?” Wakashika muttered, “Doesn’t the Perforator have multiple hideouts? It could be related to that.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shiratake asked, tilting his glasses, “Do you believe that it can lead us to one of his hiding spots in this country?”

“What’s the first thing your mind comes up with that word?” Wakashika answered, putting his hand to his chin, “Food, right? Italy is known for its cuisine all over the world. Pizza. Pasta. All sorts of Italian food…”

“It would be troublesome if the Perforator is involved with the pizza chains here,” Togo said, checking the map, “There’s a lot of them in Japan.”

“But the clue only mentioned Italy, not pizza only,” Wakashika muttered, “There are many restaurants that serve pasta too. That’s a broad word that can mean many things. Ah, this is tricky!”

“How about we continue observing the well first,” Momoki said, “It’s better if the well will give us a better clue than us theorizing over their meanings. Once we have an idea of what’s going on, it could help us find the Perforator. Let’s keep watching…”

The Kura staff nodded as they went back to look at the monitors and the hologram of the id well.

Sakaido came back from piecing part of the well together and was now near Kaeru again. He leaned forward and tried to look at her closely and then back at himself and the world around him. Her bloodied knife was still embedded deep in her chest, her dead eyes looking blankly at the unforeseen people around her.

_So, anything that is missing is a clue. So being whole would seem strange here…_

He did find it weird that Kaeru was whole, yet the rest of the place was fragmented into pieces, or not fully formed. There must be a clue in it itself.

“Come out of Kaeru-chan. Whoever you are…”

Kaeru’s body slowly began to move, revealing another fragmented person coming out of her. His body was as fragmented as the other people that Sakaido had met inside a different room. He glared at Sakaido before looking back at the fragmented Kaeru, who was now in pieces like the rest of them.

_Is this the killer? What was he doing inside Kaeru-chan?!_

Sakaido then felt a strange presence outside the wall of the room. He looked around the people surrounding him, but they were just as confused as he was. There was something behind that fragmented wall.

“Momoki-san! I just spotted John Walker inside the Perforator’s id well,” Habutae said, checking the monitors, “He seemed to appear out of nowhere and is observing Sakaido and the others inside that room through the wall. He seems to be floating on a chair on one of the floating platforms nearby.”

“How did we not notice him until now?” Momoki muttered, “Did he hide within the well without us seeing him?”

“We don’t know,” Togo answered, “He had been sneaky and hard to find since the Face Lifter’s and the Brander’s id wells. They seem related to Narihisago-san’s daughter being targeted as well…”

“Do you think she would get targeted again?” Wakashika muttered, looking back at the monitors, “John Walker appearing inside the wells always seems to point towards her getting targeted. She’s like a serial killer magnet.”

Momoki sighed and didn’t say anything for a while. He looked back at the hologram to see how Sakaido would respond to this threat again. But this time, he couldn’t see it right now.

_What’s this feeling? Is someone watching us?_

Sakaido looked around the fragmented room, searching for the mysterious person watching them. The fragmented killer who was out of Kaeru stared back at him, and slowly walked away from the room. The other fragmented people around the room stared blankly as he slowly walked towards the door.

“Hey! Where are you going?!”

He tried to grab the killer, but he quickly dodged him. In a split second, the killer vanished from Sakaido’s sight. Thinking that he escaped through the door, Sakaido opened it again to see where he went among the fragmented pieces floating within the well.

The killer was running away from Sakaido, with the floating fragmented pieces looking like he transported himself into various locations. Sakaido stared in awe at the man’s fast pace as he escaped his grasp so quickly.

_It’s like he doesn’t see this place as fragmented at all…_

Sakaido still felt a strange presence outside, but when he looked out from the doorway, he saw no one watching them. With the killer getting away, he had to think fast between investigating the hidden mysterious person watching them or chasing after the killer.

_Since the killer is getting away from me already, it’s best that I follow him before I lose him. This place is full of floating fragments all over the place…_

Sakaido gestured towards the confused fragmented people around him. He saw the now fragmented Kaeru in the middle of the room, with a bloodied knife still embedded in her chest.

“I’ll be right back. Sorry for the trouble.”

After quickly bowing his head, Sakaido rushed outside of the room and began jumping platforms with his left arm. He could barely see a strange entity facing him but kept going to catch the killer to see where he was going.

John Walker stared for a while longer before hopping into another floating fragment nearby.

Meanwhile, Muku and Hondomachi were getting closer to the Italian restaurant. They had gone past some people walking by and noticed nothing strange. However, Hondomachi had checked her bag for the Wakamusubi and felt a vibration coming out of it.

“Hondomachi-san, is something wrong?”

Muku looked back at her, sounding a bit concerned. Hondomachi was trying to hide the Wakamusubi from her sight as she tried to check what was going on. Gesturing to her that everything’s fine, she peeked at the Wakamusubi to see what the killer intent was pointing at.

It was pointed directly at them. The particles were lined up in a straight line.

“Just keep going, Narihisago-chan,” Hondomachi answered back, looking around them, “I can handle it. We’re almost there…”

They continued walking, with Muku in the front and Hondomachi in the back. Most people around them seemed to pay no attention towards them, but there was someone definitely following them. Maybe the best course of action was to go a more roundabout way to the restaurant without being seen.

“Hondomachi-san, you look wary. Do you think we should just go back for today?”

Muku noticed Hondomachi’s immediate hesitation before she answered. She knew what it was like to be followed, and the Face Lifter’s accomplices had ambushed her before. It felt like she knew that feeling and was asking to stop the trip.

_Is this worth it? Narihisago-chan hasn’t been able to freely travel like this for a while, and I wanted her to enjoy something new for once…_

_After all, she has a bodyguard now. It should be safer, right?_

Hondomachi cleared her throat. Akihito had wanted her to protect Muku and this would be a great way to prove herself again as a bodyguard this time. Despite her short height and appearance, she was capable of handling the situation and protecting Muku. They continued walking and looked around for any suspicious people.

They could get ambushed at any time, so they had to be careful again.

“As long as we get to our destination safely, we should be fine,” Hondomachi whispered, “It won’t be easy to get us in a public area…”

Muku nodded back and they kept moving forward. The same trick couldn't work twice right?

Matsuoka and Nishimura were still searching around the home, looking for clues. Apart from the prominent basement filled with dried blood splatters and a room scribbled full of numbers, the rest of the house looked normal, although a bit messy and cluttered. It looked like someone had lived in it for a long period of time before abandoning it since the sixth victim was found here.

It was likely that whoever lived in this house was owned by someone related to the Perforator. The Fukuda household could be a primary suspect for the investigation.

“Based on the various locations that the other victims were found in, some of them looked like they were moved there,” Nishimura reported, checking his notes, “This really feels like a repeat of the Face Lifter’s case last year from the Fukui prefecture.”

“It’s not the same, Nishimura-san,” Matsuoka answered back, shaking his head, “The surviving victims had mentioned that they had witnessed the Perforator doing the crime prior to being targeted. There might be some blackmail involved in this.”

“I wonder where the Perforator escaped to,” Nishimura muttered, “You don’t think he would be looking for _another_ victim?”

Matsuoka was silent for a moment before he responded back. With Hondomachi not here, the investigation was going smoother than usual. He had wondered how she was doing, being a bodyguard for Muku during this case. Since the Wakamusubi wasn’t allowed to have a GPS or any tracking device, he had suggested putting them on Hondomachi’s flower hairpins.

Hondomachi didn’t seem to see any problem with it, due to it being compact and small. Its disguise as a hairpin also made it look fairly mundane and not something anyone would easily notice. It was the perfect emergency safety measure in case something happened to them.

“Let’s hope Narihisago-san’s daughter isn’t targeted _again_ ,” Matsuoka said, looking at the ceiling, “Is this some curse related to John Walker?”

“What do you mean?” Nishimura asked, “How does John Walker appearing inside the wells relate to Narihisago-san’s curse? His family is still safe and alive…”

“I don’t know,” Matsuoka answered, “But it seemed to have started ever since the Challenger case three years ago. Now it seems like it has followed him into Tokyo. There is now a certainty that John Walker appearing inside the cases we have been getting did somehow relate to his daughter in some way.”

After he had finished explaining to Nishimura, someone from Matsuoka’s team called him out for some more information from Kura. Matsuoka quickly took the call to see what was going on inside Kura and if they had any whereabouts about the Perforator. Momoki had sent him something from inside the well.

John Walker had appeared again. This time hiding away from Sakaido’s investigation and was lurking around the id well observing them.

“So, he has appeared!” Matsuoka exclaimed through the communication system, “Why did he show up so late this time?”

“The well was already fragmented to begin with, so it was hard to tell at first,” Momoki responded through the line, “We managed to pinpoint the first six victims inside the well, as well as partially completed puzzles by Sakaido. There was also a clue about ‘Italy’ but we’re still working on that. Is the word related to the Fukuda household?”

Matsuoka didn’t say anything for a while as he tried to come up with a viable theory. They had inspected the home for any clues and had found a couple bloodied drills in some parts of the basement. They looked like they had been cleaned prior to committing the murders.

However, the word ‘Italy’ could mean something for the investigation.

“Matsuoka-san, does the word give you a clue?” Momoki asked through the line, “There’s too many broad terms with that word.”

Matsuoka checked his records on home ownership based on the Fukuda household. Their company seemed to be related to running a food company. They owned part of the shares for Italian restaurants throughout Japan. It didn’t seem related to foreign pizza chains or anything, but a different market for foreign food.

“The only information I managed to get that is connected to this house is that the Fukuda household has some market shares in certain Italian restaurants,” Matsuoka answered, taking a deep breath, “This investigation is relatively slower than the previous cases that we had gotten. The Perforator is really taking his sweet time with this one…”

Momoki didn’t say much from the other line. Looks like they would have to use the clues that they had gotten from the well and the house investigation.

“T-Thank you for the information, Matsuoka-san,” Momoki responded, “We’ll have to keep checking on Sakaido if he has gotten anything new and see what to do with John Walker there. I’ll check up again later. Talk to you later.”

Momoki closed up the communication device from the other line, leaving Matsuoka on the other end in silence. Nishimura came forward to ask about what was going on.

“Nishimura-san,” Matsuoka muttered, looking a bit worried, “It’s possible that the curse might continue. Hondomachi-san might be in danger…”

Momoki finished his call with Matsuoka on the communication line. The rest of the Kura staff were waiting for his response about Matsuoka’s team investigation. He came back to the Wellside Room, scratching his head.

“Matsuoka-san said that ‘Italy’ could be related to the Fukuda household owning shares of Italian restaurants in Japan,” Momoki muttered, “So it seems like the word really is related to food after all…”

“But there are many different chains and restaurants related to Italian food,” Togo said, “Is there a way to lessen the scope that we have to search?”

“Could it be related to the past six victims related to the Perforator?” Wakashika asked, putting a hand to his chin, “Too bad one of them went missing so we have one less witness to go off of…”

The Kura staff quickly checked back on the id well to see how Sakaido was doing. He was still chasing after the Perforator inside the well. John Walker seemed to teleport between certain locations, watching them. Wakashika had been watching part of the chase and was trying to encourage Sakaido to get him even if he couldn’t hear his voice from the other side.

“Let’s start by examining the locations from where the victims were found. Were they all near an Italian restaurant?” Wakashika suggested, “If Italian restaurants are connected to the Perforator’s hiding places, that could explain why he was able to disappear so quickly after his crimes…”

The Kura staff double checked the Perforator’s records and had a digital map next to them to find any connection or pattern to the victim’s location. There were a few connections, while the other victims seemed to correlate to them being witnesses prior to becoming a target.

“No wonder the Perforator managed to hide to this day,” Habutae muttered, “He has connections all over Japan and has various hiding spots to do his crimes. He seems very connected despite being a lone serial killer…”

“Do you believe the Perforator has accomplices?” Shiratake asked, looking at Momoki, “The previous serial killer cases have hinted at having a dubious connection with someone to help them with their crimes, and the possibility is John Walker.”

“And usually John Walker inside the id wells means that Muku-chan is being targeted,” Momoki said, “I should check up on Hondomachi-san and see if they’re alright. I have a bad feeling about this…”

“Should we contact Matsuoka-san as well?” Togo asked, a bit concerned, “He had asked about her wellbeing a couple times about being a bodyguard. It’s possible that they could be led into a trap this time.”

“Did Narihisago-san say anything?” Wakashika said, shaking his head, “Wasn’t Hondomachi-san protecting his daughter while the two were going to a different city?”

“I believe it was to try some authentic Italian food,” Momoki answered back, now worried, “Does this mean that they’re possibly near another hideout?!”

“We should really contact them now,” Togo suggested, “Who knows what’s going on outside our investigations…”

Momoki checked the GPS features that were on Hondomachi’s and Muku’s hairpins. They were still visible for a while. However, one of them started to blink and fade in and out from something. It looked like someone broke it before taking one of them to somewhere else.

“S-Something’s not right here!” Momoki exclaimed, “They’re possibly getting ambushed…”

Without the GPS, they wouldn’t be able to locate them. Hondomachi was carrying the Wakamusubi but the Perforator might have taken it as well. Worried, Momoki sent a small team to check up on Hondomachi and Muku in another city. It looked like the kidnapping would be done in real time while they were doing the case investigation.

“Which city did they go to?” Togo asked, checking the maps, “We need to schedule the team to get there as soon as possible…”

Momoki quickly checked the time between Chofu and Machida city. By car, it would take at least an hour. One hour for the Perforator to do anything to them.

A few hours ago, Muku and Hondomachi were hiding in some alleyways to look for the suspicious person that was following them. Hondomachi was trying her best to hide the Wakamusubi from Muku’s eyes but eventually it got too much.

“What are you holding, Hondomachi-san?” Muku asked, this time not holding back, “Does it detect killers?”

Hondomachi took a deep breath before she said anything. She was on high alert now that they were really being targeted. They were among crowds of people again, trying to hide from view of the potential pursuers. But something was really strange this time. It felt like they were being led into a trap rather than escaping.

“It will be okay, I promise,” Hondomachi muttered, trying to hold her ground, “This is what I’m here for. I’ll protect you and we shall escape from a potential killer again…”

But she held her breath after saying it. This pursuer might be smarter than the others that she had dealt with. She had hidden a gun just in case but didn’t want to scare Muku even more. There were crowds of people around them, but they could probably not help them due to the bystander effect.

Maybe it was best to keep going and hide inside the restaurant they were going to in the first place and call for help there. They can’t keep hiding like this. Hondomachi took Muku’s hand as they got out of the alleyway and continued walking on the streets, pretending like nothing was happening.

“Narihisago-chan, we should keep walking,” Hondomachi whispered towards Muku, “Let’s get to the Italian restaurant that we were coming here for in the first place and call for help there…”

“Good idea,” Muku said, trying to stay calm, “We can order pizza while we’re at it, and try all kinds of Italian food, right?”

“Y-Yes,” Hondomachi muttered back, “Let’s keep moving. We can’t make ourselves look weak like this. I’m here to protect you after all. Everything will be fine.”

Muku shook her head and took a deep breath as they kept walking. The crowds of people kept ignoring them as they looked back and forth for anybody suspicious following them. It felt like they had many eyes staring at them, yet they all felt more like ghosts than a human. Hondomachi didn’t want Muku’s paranoia to get to her. She had already been targeted many times and survived the ordeal with the serial killers with her quick thinking and luck.

“If we do end up facing the killer,” Hondomachi muttered again, “This time I could be your body double because we look similar. It could help confuse them about capturing us together…”

“Won’t they try to take us both anyway?” Muku answered back, “They aren’t that stupid…”

Hondomachi was silent for a moment. This was her chance to prove herself. It succeeded last time. No serial killer could target her a second time. She dealt with the Brander before, this shouldn’t be that hard.

_Let’s just keep going. We’re almost at the Italian restaurant. We should be able to make it and stay there, eat, and call for backup…_

They hurried along the path, getting close to the Italian restaurant. Muku was checking her phone again to make sure they were going on the right path. The coast was clear. Maybe they could make it after all. The pursuer probably failed. They could call for more backup and prevent another serial killer attack…

“Do you really _think_ I’ll fall for that?”

Hondomachi and Muku stopped walking, hearing a voice behind them. The Perforator was getting closer and closer towards them. His own bag was thick, filled with possible various weapons inside them. No one around them seemed to care, walking towards their destinations back and forth.

Hiding themselves in the crowds could only do so much.

“Hide behind me,” Hondomachi whispered, “Let’s not make it obvious who is who…”

Muku quietly nodded and stood back. She looked around for anything to use to protect herself with. She found a small pepper spray bottle that her Dad had given her to use in emergency situations. It would be better than nothing.

“You two look like twins,” The Perforator muttered, holding his hoodie with one of his hands, “Is this a game of roulette with a 50% chance of hitting the target?”

He held a wide grin, interested in a new spectacle before him. He slowly took a peek out from his bag and revealed something to show to Hondomachi and Muku.

It was a medium sized drill. It didn’t look dirty at all, as if the Perforator had been cleaning it many times beforehand before drilling his victims. Muku tried to cover her fear of drills and quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from shrieking at the sight of the mere weapon.

“Seems like it would be too easy to tell who is who,” The Perforator said, sounding a bit dismayed, “It would probably be nicer if we had a better form of gameplay. Maybe something a little nicer towards two young ladies…”

“What do you want from us?” Hondomachi muttered angrily towards the Perforator, “You made yourself known out here in public. What do you gain from this?”

The Perforator smirked at her remark.

“Don’t underestimate me, young lady. I promise I’ll be careful with your fragile bodies.”

In an instant, Hondomachi and Muku felt something quickly knocking them out. They had been ambushed and gotten a surprise attack not too far from the Italian restaurant. Their GPS hairpins blinked for a moment before one of them got removed and crushed from her hair, leaving only one GPS signal for Kura’s team to track.

Sakaido kept chasing after the fragmented killer throughout the well, to no avail. He kept escaping back and forth, outsmarting him in every way. It took him many tries before he managed to read a pattern from his movements and try to ambush him instead. The fragmented platforms kept moving all over the place, making it hard for Sakaido to guess which way he should be going.

“This is getting tiring. Maybe I should follow him without chasing after him this time. He might lead me somewhere…”

He rested for a moment on one of the floating platforms, being careful not to fall and break any of the fragments while sitting on them. He looked around to see if anyone had followed him but saw no one close by.

_Was that feeling just nothing after all? I feel like I’m being watched…_

Sakaido heaved himself from lazing around too much, looking for the killer that tended to hide himself within the walls and buildings of the well. His tendency to hide into objects had made him harder to track, so he had to lay low many times to check up on the killer moving from place to place. However, the killer quickly figured out his pattern of movement, outsmarting Sakaido’s intent on capturing him.

“I should be quieter this time. There is something strange about this part of the well…”

At first, the fragmented pieces around him looked random and out of place. But slowly, Sakaido was able to see some figment of something inside this part of the well. Small pieces of different fragments formed into a path, which he saw the killer smoothly walking towards that area.

But just as he was about to get closer to take a look, the fragmented killer disappeared in front of him.

“Wait, where did he go?!”

Sakaido calmed himself down from the shock of seeing the killer disappear in front of him so quickly. He looked through the windows that he was hiding in to see if the killer was just tricking him or went somewhere else. But he was nowhere to be found.

_There must be something to it. Did those fragments just take him somewhere?_

He closed his eyes at that thought.

_No…I can’t overthink this as some magic trick. This could be a trick and I might not be able to see from my point of view up here. I’ll have to go down to get a closer look…._

He inched closer to see if the pieces would break apart again, but it seemed to be held in place, as if luring him there. The fragments around him were floating listlessly around the area, except for the strange platforms where the killer disappeared from.

“I have a bad feeling about this, but I have to go. A Brilliant Detective can’t be scared of anything around here…”

Sakaido double checked again to make sure no one was watching him. Unfortunately, the feeling never subsided, so he had to make do with this intuition.

_Could this be a trap?_

Even though it could be a trap and could possibly kill him, it was not important to him as a Brilliant Detective. His job was to solve the mystery of Kaeru’s death, so facing death shouldn’t be a problem for him. After all, all he was there for was to solve the mystery, not fear for his life…

“I’ll have to go after all. I’ll face whoever is watching me later. They might surprise me in the end…”

Sakaido grinned at himself for this statement and prepared to go into the path that the killer had left wide open for him. Maybe afterwards, he could go back and check up on the people waiting for him to come back from that room.

He would have to inspect the well further for another person to see who was watching him.

“It’s now or never. The killer really wants me to go into that place after all…”

Sakaido jumped from the floating platform that he was resting on and clutched on another nearby fragment to keep his balance and go from place to place. His extended left arm had helped him a lot in navigating inside this environment, so he felt thankful for it.

After a couple jumps and hops towards the strange fragment awaiting him, Sakaido made it onto the fragment where the killer disappeared from. Upon a closer look, it looked like there was a door on the other end of this pathway.

“I’m surprised this connected fragment piece is still intact and connected to each other. I thought it would break apart once I touched it…”

Sakaido touched the platform and felt nothing too strange about it. But from his peripheral view, he saw something in the distance watching him.

It looked like a man with a top hat and cane floating on a chair.

_What was that just now?!_

Sakaido turned his head around and blinked from seeing that. He turned around again from the same distance to check if he was dreaming or not.

The man wasn’t there.

“Okay, this isn’t funny anymore,” Sakaido exclaimed towards the direction of the invisible man, “If you really want to fight, show yourself. I’m not afraid of you...”

He scratched his head, unsure if he sounded threatening enough. He had to check this place quickly and hoped he could find the killer from here. All he needed to do was go through the door.

“Here goes…”

Sakaido turned the knob, and found the door unlocked. He clicked it open as he confronted the fact that he could possibly face the killer inside this room that he got lured into. Whether or not it was a trap, he had to find out. There was no other way.

Click.

He opened the door to find himself in a strangely sparse room. There were no decorations anywhere. Not even the windows were decorated with curtains or anything of that sort. The walls were bare all around him, showing a sickly white pastel color. All that was left inside this room was a strange cockpit in front of him.

“W-What’s this thing doing here?!”

The cockpit was shaped in a weird oval shape, with a few henges on the sidelines. Sakaido walked closer towards the side of the cockpit, inspecting it as best as he could. There were clearly some buttons on them, which read EJECT and INJECT. He touched it, expecting it to fall apart like the pieces floating all over the fragmented well.

However, it remained whole, although a bit damaged. There were a few cracks in some parts of the cockpit, making it look worn and used.

Sakaido saw a screen that was on top of the chair. He tried to lean closer to see if there was anything on it. The light of the green screen blinded him for a moment as he looked up from the corner of the cockpit.

There was nothing. Just a blank green screen coming from the monitors.

“So, there’s nothing written here. But why was this cockpit hidden from the fragmented world?”

Sakaido put his right hand on his chin to think, due to his left arm being a bit distorted ever since he arrived here. The fragmented killer leading him here must have a reason for doing it, but he couldn’t think up anything. He looked around the room for any hiding spots, but the room was already sparse to begin with.

There would have been no object or room to hide in anything.

“This really is strange. Then where did he go?”

Just as Sakaido said that, the door suddenly shut behind him. The slam blew a gust of wind in his face as he got startled on what just happened. He turned around to see if anyone was behind him, but there was no one.

Except for himself and the strange cockpit inside a bare room.

“This really isn’t funny anymore,” Sakaido muttered under his breath, “Show yourself. I know you were watching me all this time here. Who are you?”

But his voice echoed inside the room instead. It felt like the man he saw was more of a ghost than anything else. An entity. A spirit. Something strange.

_Did the man trap me in here?_

Sakaido rushed towards the door to find it jammed. The man had really trapped him there after all. The fragmented killer was nowhere to be seen inside the bare room, so it was possible that he got lured into this trap. He had anticipated it being a trap but went inside anyway.

They knew how his mentality worked and used it against him.

_Not good. I’ll have to think of a way to get out of here…_

But in the corner of his eye, he saw a hand trying to grab him. Sakaido barely dodged it, trying to find the attacker. In an instant, something ambushed him, trying to lead him into the cockpit. Sakaido didn’t have enough time to respond, but he could finally see the blurry figure in front of him.

It was the man with the top hat and cane.

John Walker had been watching him the whole time…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Looks like the chapters are getting longer so the releases are slower as well.  
> It took a long time for the character to come into the story, but now he is here.  
> We're now at the beginning of anime cases for a while...so please enjoy the ride.  
> Also we're on the 5th case into the 10 case series...  
> Beta by Ayden  
> (There will be more main plot chapters over time and explanations...)  
> Comments are greatly appreciated. :D


	16. The Perforator (Part 2)

File 16: The Perforator (Part 2)

\--Flashback—

Muku slowly opened her eyes, expecting she was probably taken to another place. Her body felt sluggish, but she was still able to move her legs and arms. She found herself on the alleyway where they had been tased by the Perforator. 

But Hondomachi was nowhere to be found. She had disappeared along with her bag.

“H-Hondomachi-san?”

Muku checked her belongings and was surprised to find that the small pepper spray was still beside her. It looked like the killer didn’t touch or move them far from her. 

But something felt strange. Something was missing.

_What just happened? Why am I all alone?_

Muku felt something broken on the ground near her. She felt it to see what it was. It felt a bit like broken plastic shards on top of some metallic wires and covering. She slowly got the pieces closer to her hands to get a better look.

It was Hondomachi’s hairpin. It was broken and had scattered into pieces.

“H-Hondomachi-san…where did she go?”

But she was nowhere to be seen. Nowhere to be found. 

She had disappeared far away from the prying eyes of the passersby and noisy streets.

“HONDOMACHI-SAN!”

\-----------------------------------------------

Sakaido continued to wrestle with John Walker inside the closed room. The strange cockpit was still in the middle of the room, its ominous presence making Sakaido feel wary. John Walker had tried to force him on the cockpit, as if getting onto it would have dire consequences. But Sakaido managed to hold out and resisted his advances.

But he would have eventually tire out soon, and John Walker didn’t seem to get any weaker as time passed. He had to get out of the locked room as soon as possible.

_This is really troublesome. I need to figure out a way to get this man off of me!_

Sakaido heaved himself and threw the man towards the corner of the room. He only had so much time to rest before John Walker would get up again and continue their fight. He can’t keep doing this forever. 

He needed to return and go back to check up on Kaeru-chan and the other people there…

“Are you doing this to waste my time?!” Sakaido exclaimed, breathing heavily, “Who are you and what is your business inside this place?”

But John Walker continued to remain silent, oblivious to his questions and remarks. His movements were that of an assassin, trying to corner him in every way he can. Sakaido had to be careful, while also giving himself time to think so that he can get out of the room. The door might have seemed jammed at hindsight, but he would need to distract John Walker somehow.

_Think. Think. Think. There has got to be a way out of here…_

Sakaido noticed that the cockpit was near the front door, which could be blocking his way out. However, when he first came into the room, the cockpit was located in the center of the room. That meant that the room itself has layers that can move.

“This is probably another fragmented room like the other places around here…”

_…Only that it could be structured to look like a whole room…_

John Walker had already gotten up from Sakaido’s previous attack and was about to prepare another ambush at him inside this closed room. He needed a way to fight John Walker quickly and look for any parts of the room to break open. He still needed to be careful to not fall into any of the cracks that could form around the area.

“But the problem is that this man is already fragmented to begin with…so my attacks end up going through his body like a ghost…”

Sakaido hid behind the cockpit again, looking at both sides of the room for any surprises. The man had vanished, and probably blended into the walls again. He would have to keep an eye out for John Walker and his movements while he looked for a way to get out.

_Is there a way to distract him?_

He peeked from the corners of the cockpit, looking for anything to use that could break apart the foundation of the room. But John Walker had hidden himself away again. Sakaido would have to use what he can with the limited room and resources he had around him.

Sakaido tried scratching at the cockpit seat near him to see if it could come off. 

“Probably not here, is there an area where this cockpit breaks apart? This is the only main object inside this bare room…”

With no other clues or ideas to get out, he would have to re-inspect the cockpit again and see if there was anything he could do to get out. Although he has had several instances of going inside the cockpit, it gave him an extremely bad feeling. Doing so could trap him even further.

But John Walker quickly grabbed him by his scarf and threw him in the cockpit. Sakaido crashed onto the side of the cockpit, causing one of the buttons to turn on. The INJECT button flashed for a moment before shutting itself off. After Sakaido recovered from the crash, he expected another ambush and tried to defend himself again.

_Does the man want me to get into the cockpit? He tried to do that to me before I wrestled him off my back…_

Sakaido looked back at the two buttons near him, as he kneeled near the cockpit. Since he decided to stay there rather than the corners of the room, it made John Walker’s approach more forceful than before. It seemed like to get out of the room, the cockpit was essential in one way or another.

_He should have been able to get out easily once I got trapped in here. But why is he still here? Is he also trapped in here with me because he couldn’t get out either?_

The cockpit. John Walker. Clues towards breaking open the door and the room by finding a piece that can break off the whole structure of the room…

Sakaido turned to face the cockpit near him again. The buttons were glowing again, as if waiting for someone’s orders. Since the seat didn’t give out, the buttons and panels around the cockpit were the next targets to remove. 

“Please work. Please break apart…”

His hands slowly felt the side panels, looking for another crack or break that he could take out. They felt metallic and hard, so it was harder to look for any inconsistencies and mishaps. But then he felt something. A small crack nudged at the ends of the two buttons.

 _Break apart. There must be something to this…_

Gripping the small crack in between the buttons on the panel, Sakaido used his strength to pull out part of the cockpit’s side panels. It started to pull apart, breaking apart some of the wires and metallic coverings. He fell to the floor, holding onto two broken pieces from the cockpit. They were the buttons, INJECT and EJECT, with its lights still flashing.

“How are these buttons still working when I just pulled them apart…”

Sakaido got up from the floor and went to check on what happened to the cockpit. Revealing part of the insides of the machine had definitely caused it to stutter a bit and malfunction. Bits and pieces were falling off like a fragment. 

But before he could inspect the cockpit again, he felt himself being held down. He looked up to find John Walker pinning him down, preventing him from pushing the buttons from the panels that he had taken off.

“W-What are you doing? Get off of me!”

Sakaido tried to move, but he had been pinned down harder this time. John Walker’s movements looked like he was trying to grab the broken panels off of him, but he was gripping his wrists tightly so that Sakaido couldn’t try to move or press them together. 

_Why is he gripping so hard? Does this mean that I have managed to get something out of the cockpit that is needed to get out of here?!_

Sakaido felt his grip loosen as John Walker tried to pry the buttons off of his hands. They continued to wrestle until Sakaido managed to kick him out of the way. Using the fragmented buttons on his hands, he managed to slam it against John Walker’s head, temporarily knocking him out.

“That was close…I really need to use these buttons somehow to get me out of here…”

He took a look at the INJECT and EJECT buttons. He had two choices and he might have to press one of them to escape the room. The cockpit in front of him was already slowly disintegrating, and the floor below it seemed like it was in early stages of disintegration. There won’t be much time before the room itself disappears and they could fall into the bottomless pit down below.

“Here goes nothing…This room will collapse soon…”

He frantically pressed the INJECT button first, but nothing much happened at first. The room started to tighten a bit, but Sakaido noticed that the door was slowly breaking apart too. The knob was also slowly starting to fall apart into fragments. There was a chance for escape before the whole room disappeared.

He then pressed the EJECT button, and the room started to widen. The small hole underneath the cockpit grew bigger, and Sakaido maneuvered quickly towards the door. John Walker had quickly vanished from sight, but he had no time to worry about another ambush.

_Let’s get out of here! The door should be open by now…_

Sakaido turned the knob this time, and its features were slowly disappearing into pieces as he opened the door to get outside of the room. He quickly ran towards the nearby floating platform, unsure about the outer layer’s safety. Afterwards, he rested and went to check back on the trapped room through the windows of the fragment he was on.

“T-That was close,” Sakaido muttered to himself, out of breath, “I need to go back and check up on the people on the other side of this place again. Hopefully, I haven’t been out for too long chasing after the killer…”

And then he quickly hopped and jumped between the floating fragments and platforms towards their location.

“Sakaido has managed to escape the closed room,” Togo said, checking the monitors, “Momoki-san, what has happened over at Machida City?”

Momoki was checking up on Hondomachi and Muku, wary about their whereabouts. The team had gotten there and had only discovered Muku in a back alley somewhere. She had been found with all her belongings with her, and nothing was stolen. But Hondomachi was not there. The only thing that they found was a broken hairpin that was found beside Muku.

“The Perforator seems to have already taken Hondomachi-san,” Momoki muttered under his breath, “We don’t know where he could have taken her…”

“Seems like they were last seen near an Italian restaurant, right?” Togo asked, “Have you contacted Matsuoka-san’s team about it? Do they know what happened?”

“T-They do,” Momoki replied, “We’ll have to hope that the Perforator’s id well can give us any hints on where he went with Hondomachi-san.”

“Sakaido looks like he is going back towards the victim’s room again,” Wakashika muttered, “He might be checking on them to see if anything has changed.”

“Roger that,” Habutae answered, “Let’s hope Sakaido can give us a clue on what’s going on right now…”

“Precisely,” Shiratake muttered back, “The trapped room was a clever move, and John Walker has returned again. Seems like he isn’t shy on learning from his mistakes this time.”

The Kura staff continue to watch from the monitors, hoping that the situation could be made clearer and hoping that Muku and Hondomachi were safe. 

“What?! Hondomachi-san went missing?”

Matsuoka was gripping one of his team members by the collar, sounding worried. He then quickly let go and went back to see how Nishimura was reacting to the news. He was the one who told Matsuoka the news and on how the real time situation was progressing. But things hadn’t been looking good for a while now.

“Matsuoka-san, you look like you knew this was going to happen,” Nishimura muttered, “The same pattern has happened again with Narihisago-san’s daughter and another serial killer. Is this what you mean by his curse?”

Matsuoka shook his head and sighed. He scratched his head and tried to think. The Perforator’s source of victims were related to witness accounts, and the Fukuda household held stock shares in the Italian restaurant industry in Japan. Despite the use of the hairpin GPS, the Perforator managed to break it before taking Hondomachi somewhere. The Wakamusubi was also in her bag, so he would have known about it if he ignored Muku’s belongings but took Hondomachi’s.

But the Wakamusubi didn’t have a GPS sensor to it, due to its secrecy. That was why they used hairpins as a GPS in the first place. To help track Muku and Hondomachi while they went outside in public and to keep an eye on them from any possible dangers. 

“Is it okay that I go back to Kura for a moment? There’s something important that I need to ask over there,” Matsuoka muttered under his breath, “I’ll let you take over the investigation for the house, Nishimura-san.”

Nishimura seemed surprised by Matsuoka’s statement, but immediately nodded in order to accept his next duty. Matsuoka then left the investigation site to check up on Kura.

Hondomachi felt sluggish, as if she had been knocked out and was just now regaining consciousness. The ceiling above her looked metallic, which indicated that she could be underneath some building. She tried to move her body, but they were all chained on the edge of the table that she woke up in.

Not too far from her, the Perforator was in the corner cleaning something. It looked like a drill since she could barely make out its silhouette inside the dim room.

“Finally awake?”

Hondomachi squinted her eyes to get a closer look but couldn’t move much from her angle. She tried to resist but the bars on her hands and feet held her back towards the cold metal table that she was laid on. She looked around herself to see if there was a bag or anything inside the room.

The Perforator then held another bag that was next to him. It was hidden behind him all this time.

“Do you mean this?” he asked, shaking her large bag, “I knew that there was something inside here that looked strange. I wanted to ask if you know what this object is.”

He took Hondomachi’s Wakamusubi out of the bag. Its metallic surface gleaned in front of the dimly lit room. Hondomachi immediately recognized it but didn’t say anything.

“Not speaking, are you? I expected that. I broke your hairpin before bringing you here. You can’t fool me with a hairpin disguised as a GPS.”

Hondomachi looked around the room. She thought that he would have also taken Muku, but she was nowhere to be found. With his large size and height, she would have expected him to just take them both instead of taking a guess and taking one of them.

“D-Did you also take the other girl who was with me?”

The Perforator raised an eyebrow and laughed. He sounded like he didn’t care.

“Why would I? I only needed one person.”

Hondomachi breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he only took her because she looked similar to Muku or in essence, the appearance of a high school girl. Did he happen to mistake her for Muku because they were both wearing the same hairpins and looked similar in height and body shape.

“A-Are you alone? There’s no one else other than you here…”

The Perforator smiled meekly at her as he tried to work the Wakamusubi that were in his hands. But the device didn’t seem to do anything, and the small screen on top of it only showed a faint stream of particles. After struggling with the device, he turned to face Hondomachi again.

“Tell me what this thing is,” he said, “Or else I’ll have to do something to make you speak.”

In his hand was the drill that he had carefully cleaned while she was unconscious.

Hondomachi tried to resist the chains covering her arms and legs but couldn’t get out of them. She couldn’t do anything but think of something that could help Kura find her whereabouts. Maybe she should let the Perforator get closer towards her before making a move.

But for now, she wouldn’t say anything.

Sakaido came back towards the room where he had organized the people living there to meet Kaeru and see if they recognized her. He slowly pushed himself onto the front door and knocked before going in. There seemed to be a commotion going on while he was away.

“What’s going on? Can you tell me what happened here?”

One of the people shook his head and pointed towards the person that was being surrounded by a crowd in front of him. Sakaido walked closer and tried to get a closer look.

There was one extra person in the crowd than the people he had seen prior to chasing after the fragmented killer. It looked like a young woman, but she seemed to be glitching in and out between two different forms.

_How did this person get here? Who is she?_

Sakaido saw the girl glitch out between someone looking like a high school student wearing casual clothes, and another young woman who looked professional dressed in casual wear but looked to be in similar shape and frame as the other girl. 

They were almost like twins, yet different enough to differentiate from each other.

“Who are you?” Sakaido asked, “What are you?”

Similar to Sakaido’s reaction, the Kura staff also saw the glitching girl inside the room. The sudden anomaly inside the well had caused some of the team members to speculate among themselves. Togo tried to get Momoki to do something about the weird phenomenon happening inside the well. 

“D-Doesn’t that look like Hondomachi-san and Narihisago-san’s daughter?” Wakashika exclaimed, pointing at the monitors, “What did Sakaido discover this time?”

“Momoki-san, what should we do?” Togo asked, “Did the Perforator mix up between the two of them because they looked similar?”

“It’s possible,” Momoki answered, “Hondomachi-san did say that she got chosen because she looked similar to Muku-chan, and also provided her a capable companion for her travels.”

“So, the effect is a glitch-like phenomena inside the id well?” Wakashika asked, “Does that mean that the Perforator probably got confused between the two of them…”

“We’ll see,” Habutae answered, “We’ll have to see how Sakaido deals with the glitching girl inside the id well.”

And they looked back on the monitors to see if Sakaido did anything towards finding more clues on the investigation and the girl.

Sakaido felt appalled by the girl’s appearance, even though she looked harmless. Her form was also fragmented like the rest of them, apart from the constant glitching and switching between the two forms. Although he felt fearful, he still needed to know who she was and how did she suddenly appear in this room.

_I know that I left this room to chase after the killer, so it’s possible that the people here could have lied and hid her from me beforehand. But…_

Sakaido put one of his hands towards his chin and began to think.

_But, I don’t believe they would do that. She really might have appeared out of nowhere right in front of them after all…_

After a while, one of the people touched Sakaido by the shoulder and asked if he knew the girl. The answer seemed obvious, yet he felt like it was a trick question. He scratched his head and didn’t know what to say.

“I believe it’s best that we ask who she is herself,” he suggested, “So, who are you?”

The girl looked up at Sakaido and struggled to say who she was. The crowd around her seemed to have scared her, so Sakaido decided to take her to the corner of the room to speak to her privately. When he tried to touch her, he felt a sense of déjà vu and familiarity.

_What’s this feeling again? Is there something about her that is making me feel nostalgic?_

He managed to grab a small piece of her clothes before letting go. The sensation was getting stronger. There was definitely something about this girl that was making him feel sick and wary. He kneeled to the ground, trying not to scare the girl.

“A-Are you alright?” the girl asked, sounding a bit startled by Sakaido’s reaction towards her, “Maybe I’m probably scaring everyone here after all for appearing so suddenly. I’m so—” 

“Wait!” Sakaido muttered back, “I still need to ask you who are…”

The feeling was getting more and more intense, causing him to develop a headache around her. Everything started becoming blurry and hazy, as more people started to crowd around him just as they did with the girl. Many voices start to call for him, as if trying to wake him up. The girl was screaming and was trying to escape from the background.

And then, everything went black.

“EJECT SAKAIDO NOW!”

….

…

..

.

Akihito felt his head burn as he woke up from the cockpit. He closed his eyes and tried to relieve his headache with his hands, to no avail. Momoki came rushing in, asking if he was alright.

“Narihisago!” Momoki exclaimed, “What was going on inside the room? Are you okay?”

Akihito didn’t say anything, continuing to press his hands against his forehead.

“You got knocked out by something inside the well, so we had to eject you to make sure if everything was okay…”

_My head. What’s going on with my head?! The intensity of the déjà vu is overwhelming me. Why was Muku and Hondomachi-san mixed in like that?! What’s going on with this machine? Why can’t I seem to remember anything that could be connected to these constant head pangs…_

Akihito stopped putting his hands against his forehead and sighed. Momoki then put his hand on his shoulder, trying to snap him out of his daze. After a moment, Akihito looked back up at Momoki and tried to sound natural. 

“Momoki, I’m fine. I-It probably was my fault to faint inside the well like that. I could always go back in after I take a break…”

Momoki looked concerned and continued to grip on his shoulder. Akihito felt some tension from his hands as if he wanted to say something bad had happened but chose not to.

“Let me guess. Did Muku and Hondomachi-san get taken by the Perforator?”

Momoki gasped from that statement, hinting that he was right. Their sudden appearance inside the id well was not a coincidence after all. After a few moments of silence, Akihito got up and quickly removed Momoki’s hand from his shoulder. 

“N-Narihisago, it was only Hondomachi-san. Muku-chan is still safe. They managed to find her in Machida City. We’re just looking for her whereabouts right now.”

Akihito hid his relief from Momoki’s glance, so he turned around to face the door of the cockpit room. He smiled back a little before responding back to Momoki, who was trying to get Akihito to talk about what happened inside the well.

“I’ll go take a break right now,” Akihito muttered under his breath, “Please tell me if anything happens…”

He looked at Momoki for a moment, before leaving the cockpit room and went down the hallway. Momoki shook his head, trying to think up what to say to Akihito. However, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

It was the Chief. 

He had been listening in the dark all this time while Momoki went in to check on his friend. His presence startled Momoki for a moment, as Momoki regained his composure from the shock.

“Momoki-san, I’m so sorry for scaring you. I was just hoping that everything is going well with the investigation. Has Narihisago-san been doing well?”

Momoki felt the Chief’s glare from behind him. The Chief’s sudden appearance felt uncanny and creepy. The dimly lit hallways of the 5th floor didn’t help lessen the atmosphere as well. He had to remain calm and respond normally. The Chief was not someone who can be fooled easily.

“Narihisago had just left the cockpit room for a break,” Momoki answered politely, “For now, we’re just figuring out where Hondomachi-san is. I hope that does not delay our investigation in capturing the Perforator, Chief Hayaseura.”

The Chief chuckled and patted Momoki on the back. 

“If that’s what you wanted to know, I can leave now. Sorry for the trouble, Chief Hayase—” 

The Chief then gripped his shoulder again.

“Momoki-san, make sure to greet Matsuoka-san. He had just returned from the house investigation.”

Momoki sounded shocked by the news. The Chief usually would tell them if anyone had changed their locations at a moment’s notice, and give approval for certain actions, such as sending part of a team to look for Muku and Hondomachi in Machida City.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

The Chief then took his hand away and turned to leave.

“Momoki-san, don’t you like surprises?”

Akihito went to get canned coffee from the vending machines near the lobby on the 1st floor. His headache had vanished as soon as he got out of the cockpit. Scratching his hair, he went to sit on one of the lobby chairs that were near him. He used his thumb to open the can and took a sip.

_Hondomachi-san managed to get captured, huh. If they couldn’t find her, that probably means that the GPS hairpin broke or was broken by someone. She wouldn’t mention this kind of stuff to me so easily if it wasn’t so important. And the Wakamusubi. From what she had mentioned, it could only read and capture particles and send the information to the Mizuhanome…_

He looked to the side to face the windows near him.

_Does that mean that the Wakamusubi was not equipped with a GPS to begin with?_

“You surely are a mysterious woman, Hondomachi-san.”

Akihito closed his eyes and smirked. Muku was safe. That was the only thing that mattered. All they needed to do was just find Hondomachi and capture the Perforator all in one go. Even if it ends in one casualty, everything will work out fine. 

“Smiling that Hondomachi-san got captured?”

Akihito quickly opened his eyes to see who just made that remark. Matsuoka came out from the corner of the lobby and found him relaxing on one of the lobby chairs.

“Matsuoka-san, what do you want? I’m taking my break.”

Matsuoka came forward, but he ignored Akihito as he went over towards another vending machine. After putting some coins in and clicking a few buttons, a drink fell towards the bottom. He then grabbed his can and sat down on a lobby chair across from Akihito.

“Narihisago-san, why would you take advantage of Hondomachi-san like that?! Do you have no shame?”

Akihito looked back at Matsuoka, looking a bit surprised. He drank some more of his coffee as he took his time to come up with an answer.

_Ah, so that’s what he was here for. He believes that I manipulated Hondomachi-san for my own benefit…_

Meanwhile, Hondomachi continued to resist, refusing to answer the Perforator’s questions. The Wakamusubi didn’t seem to respond to his attempts at activating it, so he kept trying to point it at different objects inside the room. After many failed attempts, he decided to pester Hondomachi with more questions and threats.

“So, how does this device work?”

Hondomachi mustered all her strength, trying to break the chains again. Still nothing.

“Why should I tell you? What will you do with it?”

The Perforator didn’t say anything as he picked up his drill from the table counter near him. He looked at Hondomachi in disgust and morbid curiosity.

“I have already given you enough time to think. But it seems like you really won’t cooperate with me.”

Hondomachi closed her eyes, trying to figure out a way out. But she was stuck. There was nothing to track her down, and the GPS hairpin was broken after she got knocked out and was taken somewhere else. Since the Wakamusubi didn’t have any tracking on it, she won’t be able to use it.

Unless.

_Wait a minute. There is a way._

Hondomachi looked up at the metal ceiling above her again, gritting her teeth for determination.

_I’ll have to create an id well. That’s the only way…_

She then looked back at the Perforator, who had just seen her expression change. He looked on, curious on what else she could be planning to do. He pointed the drill at her as he held up the Wakamusubi in his hands.

“Fine, I’ll tell you,” Hondomachi muttered, looking back at him, “Come closer to me and I’ll show you how it works…”

Akihito and Matsuoka sat across from each other, drinking their canned coffees. Matsuoka was looking back at Akihito before he sighed and looked around the lobby area. He leaned forward, glaring at him in the eyes.

“Narihisago-san, are you still having nightmares?”

Akihito immediately stopped drinking and put his can to the side of the lobby table beside him. Matsuoka continued talking.

“Still not saying anything?” Matsuoka muttered, shaking his head, “I kind of expected that. So, do you believe that it could be related to your curse?”

_Curse?! It’s been a while since I heard that word. There’s been way too many coincidences happening for it to not be one though…_

“Why did you bring up this topic so suddenly?” Akihito answered back, “Do you really want to see my reaction so badly that you would call something this terrible a _curse_?”

“It is what it is, Narihisago-san,” Matsuoka said, sighing, “It is not normal that your family would get targeted again right not long after moving to a new city. Something has definitely followed you here.”

“What do you mean?” Akihito asked, “You believe that it’s actually a curse and not a human who is doing this?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Matsuoka answered back, sounding displeased, “You get too emotional over every individual case that is related to your family, yet cannot see past the possibility that it could be related to your fate. This curse possibility should not be taken lightly.”

Akihito closed his eyes again, thinking about Matsuoka’s words. It sounded ridiculous, yet it didn’t seem impossible. After all, he and Momoki had talked about fate a couple times before while these incidents were happening. Even though he never told Matsuoka about his dreams, it could be implied due to his behavior over the months in Kura. 

“Listen. There’s also something else I need to say,” Matsuoka muttered under his breath, “Does that also make the serial killer’s deaths inside Kura Prison sound like a coincidence to you?”

_The serial killer’s deaths. What is he trying to make me say? Does he suspect me?_

“Didn’t the Chief already answer that question for you, Matsuoka-san?” Akihito answered, “He said that they didn’t want to live anymore. What more do you need to know?”

Matsuoka took another sip of his coffee. Akihito drank more of his coffee quietly. The two of them were trying to figure out what the other side wanted, and on how to answer them. Matsuoka might be on to something. 

“Narihisago-san, someone with a highly favored opinion of you doesn’t count,” Matsuoka said, “Although it’s possible that the Chief’s explanation may sound reasonable, the timing seems way too perfect.”

Akihito hesitated for a moment but then quickly calmed himself. Matsuoka might just be guessing a possible suspect so far. He also has shown no proof or evidence so it could all just be speculation. There were too many mysteries connected to John Walker.

“Like with John Walker?” Akihito muttered, “What are you trying to say?”

Matsuoka sighed and scratched his head.

“I mean that there are a lot of strange things happening around you,” Matsuoka muttered back, “What does that mean to you?”

“I am using whatever means necessary to protect my family,” Akihito replied, sounding a bit irritated, “What other reason do you need?”

“That is true that you’re doing your best protecting your family. I’m not disregarding that, Narihisago-san,” Matsuoka muttered, “But what use do you have other people other than that?”

_What is he talking about? He still believes that I manipulated Hondomachi-san?_

“Hondomachi-san accepted the job on her own accord,” Akihito muttered back, “I did not do anything to her. You don’t need to accuse me of such actions, Matsuoka-san. By the way, why did you come talk to me all of a sudden? What happened to your work?”

Matsuoka shook his head. He didn’t tell him that he came back to Kura in order to check up on him in the first place. It was already good timing that he managed to find him in the lobby alone. Usually, Momoki would be with him, but they were too busy dealing with Hondomachi’s disappearance right now.

“Well, something happened,” Matsuoka said, “I’m just making sure that you know some information for this case before doing anything else. Did you really care about Hondomachi-san’s safety?”

Akihito didn’t say a word.

“If your daughter were in danger right now, you wouldn’t have hesitated in leaving the building. But since it was someone else this time, it looks like you can just take your time relaxing before thinking about rescuing them…”

Matsuoka then grabbed a piece of Akihito’s collar. Akihito didn’t seem to react much to it, expecting a lecture about his incompetence or his lack of empathy towards others. After all the paranoia involved with John Walker and dealing with his family’s safety, it wouldn’t sound too farfetched.

“Narihisago-san, what is your answer?”

Hondomachi gritted her teeth, watching the Perforator slowly inch his drill towards her skull. She tried to think of other methods of escape, but she was already stuck. She was stuck underneath some building in a dimly lit room, and she was chained to a table. 

The only saving grace was the Wakamusubi that was in her bag that he had brought along with her. It could detect killer particles, thus being able to find their location, under the circumstances that an id well was created.

And in order to make an id well, there could only be two options: murder or suicide. 

“Hey, did any of your victims survive?”

Hondomachi’s sudden question made the Perforator’s movements stop for a moment. He seemed intrigued by her question.

“Why would you ask that? Do you really want to know?”

Hondomachi shook her head quickly. It could buy her some time and could give her some information on her risky endeavor that she was about to do.

“Yes, I do. Did they ever plead for their lives? How long did they remain alive after being pierced through the skull?”

“You sure know how to talk,” the Perforator said, glaring at her curiously, “Do you really want to know?”

Hondomachi nodded at his remark. He laughed at her dedication to distract him from what he was doing. It was either get murdered by him or to do it herself. The only difference if he murdered her through drilling would just be a change in the id well status from the Mizuhanome, so it might not help much in finding her location.

The only way was to take the drilling herself, her way.

_It’s now or never. I’ll have to do it, even if I die…_

“Some of them do not immediately die, but it does take a while. Let’s see how long you will live afterwards…”

Hondomachi closed her eyes, getting ready for a brutal impact. He cannot do it to her, she had to push the drill into her head herself. It would be better to surprise him and break the pattern of the slow moving drill above her head.

“That’s okay…”

Hondomachi inched her head closer towards the drill.

“I’LL DO IT MYSELF!”

In an instant, she got up part way on the table and got her head bloodied by the drill. Pellets of blood covered part of Hondomachi’s face as she felt the drill go into her skull. A feeling of extreme pain reached her consciousness, yet she was still vividly awake. She still felt dizziness and blood gushing out of her head as she laid back down on the table.

“Wow, I…really didn’t die right away…”

Matsuoka was cutting Akihito off with his responses about his uses for Hondomachi. Even though he had hinted about the strange serial killer’s deaths at Kura Prison, he seemed to have just implied that it was possibly just a curse and nothing more. Akihito didn’t say anything as Matsuoka barraged him with his thoughts on Hondomachi and his weird behavior.

“Narihisago-san, what’s on your mind for doing this? Why would you take advantage of Hondomachi-san like that?”

“Didn’t I already tell you?” Akihito exclaimed, “She accepted the job herself! She could have rejected the offer and I would have asked someone else.”

“So, the Tokyo Tower trip wasn’t a ploy to convince her to accept your plan?”

Akihito couldn’t say anything about that. Matsuoka had heard about his trip from the other co-workers after all. Everybody knew about it because Momoki and Togo were there as well. He couldn’t just say that he didn’t know about it.

“Even if I did, Hondomachi-san accepted it and faced the consequences. Please, let’s stop fighting. This will get us nowhere…”

Matsuoka kept on ruffling Akihito’s collar for a while until Momoki came into the lobby, looking for them. He came upon the scene of the two of them, arguing with one another across the lobby chairs. Momoki looked surprised and tried to lessen the tension going on between the two of them.

“Matsuoka-san? What are you doing here?” Momoki asked, “Why did you need to come back to the Kura Building?”

Matsuoka took his hands off Akihito’s collar.

“I was just talking to Narihisago-san about something,” Matsuoka muttered back, “What is it, Momoki-san?”

Momoki scratched his head before answering his question. 

“An id well had been discovered by the Mizuhanome system just now. We need Narihisago to dive again and make sure it could lead us to Hondomachi-san’s location. Do you think it’s about time that you also look for her as well?”

Matsuoka chuckled at Momoki’s remark. Afterwards, he quickly finished his canned coffee and threw them in the trashcan near the vending machine. With Momoki here, he couldn’t talk to Akihito again until their mission was over. 

And just now, a new id well was formed. Akihito was needed again to check it.

“Fine, fine. I’ll go,” Matsuoka muttered, “I spent enough time talking with Narihisago-san. Go take care of him, Momoki-san…”

And in an instant, he had left the Kura Building, getting his resources ready to find Hondomachi.

Momoki then asked Akihito if he was alright. After that near fainting spell from the last id well, he hoped that he was still stable enough to dive again. Since a new id well had been discovered, Kura had anticipated who the well could belong to. There were two different conclusions, but both sounded grisly and terrible. 

Either the Perforator had just drilled Hondomachi and created another id well, or Hondomachi created her own by attempting suicide, risking her life to get help and catch the Perforator.

“We’re counting on you, Narihisago,” Momoki said, patting on Akihito’s shoulder, “I’m sorry that I interrupted your conversation with Matsuoka-san…”

Momoki sounded wary and tired from their investigations into looking for Hondomachi’s whereabouts. The Perforator was clever and did not hesitate to hide his movements from the police and Kura. But now they had a lead again and hoped for the best.

“Tell me when you’re ready to go again, Narihisago.”

Akihito responded through the Wellside Room speakers.

“I’m ready, Momoki.”

“INJECTING SAKAIDO.”

.

..

…

….

Sakaido opened his eyes and found himself in another world. The place was full of gears and metallic objects floating in the sky. In front of him, there was a large tree that hung a body. He walked closer towards it and found the body to be Kaeru. In an instant, he remembered who he was and his task at hand.

After inspecting the body and the tree around him, he discovered a note by Kaeru’s feet. He quickly took it and opened it to see what was inside.

Inside, it wrote:

“This is a suicide.”

Sakaido looked up at her body and felt remorse. Her hanged corpse hung in front of him. She didn’t have to die like this. Everything around him looked dreary and pointless. There was no mystery to this place. 

This was a suicide. 

_Kaeru-chan, what’s going on? What is this place? Why am I here?_

Sakaido wanted to remove her out of the tree, but he immediately sensed something dangerous coming towards him. He looked up and saw a giant drill above him. Its grey spiral descended upon him and started to spin around and attack the ground beneath him.

He hadn’t found time to remove Kaeru off the tree yet. He would have to do it after he dodged the deadly drill.

“I’m sorry, Kaeru-chan, I can’t get you off the tree right now…”

And Sakaido jumped around to avoid the drill’s attack. He had already solved the mystery, because it wasn't any to begin with. All that’s left is to give Kaeru some dignity in her death.

“Sakaido just dodged the giant drill,” Togo said, “He might be able to find clues to lead us to Hondomachi-san’s location.”

“The id well is confirmed to be a suicidal well, due to the note by Kaeru-san’s feet,” Habutae muttered, “Looks like the place is a giant barren wasteland filled with many drills and gears all over its atmosphere.”

“The well’s setting looks like a blend of the Perforator’s weapon and the suicide note indicated that she already risked her life to activate the Wakamusubi that was in the room,” Shiratake added, “Looks like there’s no people inside the well this time, compared to the Perforator’s well that we had seen before…”

“There must be a way to pinpoint Hondomachi-san,” Wakashika muttered, “We would have to check if Sakaido finds anything that can lead us there…”

“So, this is possibly Hondomachi-san’s id well then,” Momoki said, leaning his head against the wall, “Let’s hope that she survived the initial attack…”

Sakaido ran around the well, avoiding the giant drills that kept targeting him. Since there was no point in solving Kaeru’s case because it ruled itself a suicide, he had no use being there. But a nagging feeling of laying Kaeru to rest before he leaves this place kept distracting his mind. 

_Is that what you want, Kaeru-chan? Fine, I’ll at least do just that…_

Sakaido came back towards the barren tree that held Kaeru like a doll, her blank face facing the ground. He went and released Kaeru from the ropes that were holding her neck and then held onto her body. He would have to find an area to place her body in and not get targeted by the drills somehow.

“There must be a place where those drills won’t hit us around here. But I can’t be so sure about that. I wonder if there’s a pattern to the way that the drills move…”

He looked up as another drill came from above him. Its deathly spirals inched closer towards him and his whole body sensed immediate danger. Sakaido wasn’t sure if the giant drills above him were sentient, with a possibility of their movements being mechanical as well.

_No! I can’t die now! There must be something else I can do…_

“The drills really are attacking Sakaido now,” Wakashika muttered, “Maybe their pattern and material component can lead us into finding Hondomachi-san.”

“Look into the components of those giant drills, Togo-san,” Momoki said, “There could be a reflection on them that could lead us somewhere…”

“Understood,” Togo answered back, checking the database, “So far, the materials from the drills does indicate a metallic surface. We could search for areas inside Tokyo and Machida City to find the Perforator’s hiding place and rescue Hondomachi-san.”

“What else do we need?” Wakashika asked, “Sakaido seems to be just jumping around carrying Kaeru-san all over the place. What is he thinking?”

“The mystery has already been solved, so there is no need for him,” Habutae muttered, “Do you think we should get him out?”

Momoki looked wary for a moment. Sakaido may have found out whether the well was homicidal or suicidal rather quickly, but they might still need some time before they find Hondomachi’s exact location from the clues she had given them from her well. In the end, they shouldn’t let her death be in vain. 

They weren’t even sure if she even survived the suicidal attempt.

“Not right now,” Momoki answered, “We’ll eject Sakaido once we find Hondomachi-san.”

And then Momoki went to prepare several possible locations for the other teams to find Hondomachi. They hoped that they could make it in time and hope she wasn’t dead. 

Sakaido rested with Kaeru’s body near him. The only spots where the giant drills didn’t attack him were in certain areas of the well. They could be called safe spots inside the area. He looked around for anyone inside this place, but it looked like he was all alone, except for Kaeru.

He looked at the giant holes that the drills left and tried to investigate them. They were marked in a specific manner, such as hints that point to the pattern of the drill. 

It looked like something of a map from the surface.

“The undrilled areas all seem to point towards the tree where Kaeru-chan was found in. There’s even some city blocks shown in different shapes from the drill marks…”

Sakaido then looked up from the drills above him and noticed them shining, as if it were reflecting something. He hadn’t paid attention earlier due to him having to take care of Kaeru’s body first, but now that he noticed, they were reflecting some sort of image through them.

It looked like a person’s reflection.

“The drills and its metallic surface just reflected Hondomachi-san’s face!” Togo exclaimed, “And the patterns of the drill movements reflect a map to her location.”

“The tree that Kaeru-san was on?” Wakashika muttered, “So it was a clue after all.”

“Togo-san, check up on the map that Sakaido discovered,” Momoki said, “And the reflections from the drills. We’ll definitely find her and rescue her from the Perforator…”

“We still don’t know if she’s dead or alive, Momoki-san,” Togo answered back, “Matsuoka-san will be sent to the location of the Perforator’s hideout once we finish putting up the clues together.”

“That’s okay,” Momoki said, “We’ll get her whether she is dead or alive. Check on the metals on the drill and the map from the id well, Togo-san.”

The Kura staff began compiling information from the id well to find Hondomachi’s location. The location was near the Italian restaurant where Hondomachi had disappeared from and where Muku was found alone near an alleyway. The metal surface of the drills inside the id well showed a specific kind used in restaurants. Since they already knew that she was near one in proximity, they just needed to find her location.

Muku was already taken to safety somewhere else, while they went in to find Hondomachi. She was under one of the floors of the Italian restaurant after all. It was possible that the owner or more accomplices could have helped the Perforator, even indirectly. 

“Go rescue Hondomachi-san and capture the Perforator!” Momoki exclaimed, “Matsuoka-san, we found her. Get there as fast as you can.”

“Roger. Let’s all hope that she survives and doesn’t die from this ordeal…”

Hondomachi felt blood leaking out of her head as she felt dizzy from the drill’s aftermath. She didn’t know how long she had before she was dead. The Perforator seemed surprised by her actions that got herself drilled before he realized that she created the id well herself so that she could be found. 

“Is this what it’s like to be dead?” Hondomachi asked, “I feel faint and sleepy. I’m still alive, so am I not dying right away?”

“You might be alive _right now_ , but who knows if you will be a few hours from now,” The Perforator muttered, “That’s unusual that you would get yourself drilled rather than me doing it to you.”

His words sounded vague and quieter than usual. Hondomachi felt like she could fall asleep any moment now and never wake up. Even if she did die, at least she would be at peace because Kura would find her as soon as possible and probably give her a decent funeral. 

But just as she was about to feel like fainting, there was a large knock on the door. The Perforator looked surprised this time since he didn’t expect them to find him so quickly. There was no way out for him this time, especially with a bleeding victim next to him. A barrage of knocks were coming from the other side, and any minute now they could barge in.

“You’re under arrest for charge for kidnapping and multiple first-degree murders,” said Nishimura, barging into the room, “Hondomachi-san, stay with us! Don’t fall asleep!”

After the Perforator got handcuffed and taken out of the room, Nishimura called Matsuoka up to check on Hondomachi’s condition. They had expected the worst for her, but miraculously she managed to stay alive during the whole ordeal. They quickly rushed her to the nearest hospital to get her treated. And the Perforator was finally caught along with her.

The Perforator’s real name was Tamotsu Fukuda. His relations to the house that had the evidence where some of his victims were kept now made much more sense now. He had escaped from his home for a long period of time during his pursuit for his 7th victim. He went through interrogation and gave them his answers without a hitch and was later put into Kura Prison. 

In the meantime, Hondomachi was sent to the hospital immediately through an ambulance.

A few days later, Matsuoka arrived at the hospital and asked for Hondomachi’s room number. He had brought some flowers and fruit, hoping for her recovery. Reaching towards her room, he opened the door to find Hondomachi looking up at the ceiling. She looked like she was daydreaming before being startled by Matsuoka’s presence in the room.

“Matsuoka-san! You’re here,” Hondomachi said, “I’m fine, okay?”

She pointed towards her bandaged forehead and chuckled. She seemed cherry and unaware that she almost died during the Perforator case. Matsuoka let out a sigh and went to arrange the flowers next to her bed. He took out some apples from his fruit bag and put them on the table across from her. Hondomachi sounded a bit disappointed in Matsuoka’s reaction, expecting a surprised reaction from him.

But he seemed too concentrated on other matters.

“Hondomachi-san, did Narihisago-san say anything strange to you?” Matsuoka asked, “How are your vitals? Are you sure you can really go back to work like this?”

“But I survived the drilling and the initial attack, Matsuoka-san,” Hondomachi replied, “I’m fine, really.” 

Matsuoka sighed as he finished arranging the flowers and went to her bedside. The hospital had cleaned her wound and made sure that her vitals and system were clear but didn’t really say much on how much the drilling would impact her brain. For now, Hondomachi seemed and looked normal.

“That’s good, Hondomachi-san,” Matsuoka muttered, “That was clever of you to create your own id well, even though it was risky. You could have died, doing that…”

Hondomachi looked up at him before looking up at the ceiling again. She seemed to be deep in thought.

“Matsuoka-san,” she said, her eyes gleaming with hope, “Do you think I can become a Detective too?”

Her words shot Matsuoka in the back. Her voice was full of curiosity, as if she had just been enlightened by her experience. Matsuoka glared at her before sitting down beside her. She looked and sounded normal and there didn’t seem to be anything off about her. But he seemed wary regardless.

“Hondomachi-san, why would you want to be one? I don’t think it’s a good idea to be like Narihisago-san. There must be a reason why he was chosen out of other people…”

Hondomachi thought to herself from Matsuoka’s question. He did have a point, but it won’t stop her from finding out that special thing so that she could become one herself. She looked back at Matsuoka and pointed towards the bandages on her head. He went to cut up some apples for her. 

“That’s alright, Matsuoka-san. I’ll figure out what makes him special…”

She smiled meekly at Matsuoka as she grabbed a few slices off of his hands. 

“I’ll get back to work after my hole heals for a bit. I’m seriously fine, Matsuoka-san!”

With Hondomachi’s persistence, it seemed like Matsuoka couldn’t convince her about his own suspicions about Akihito. And this time, she was also interested in becoming a Detective as well. He would have to talk to her another time when she gets better from the hospital.

“Very well then,” Matsuoka muttered, “I’ll talk to you another time. Please take care and recover from your head wound. Enjoy the apple slices.”

He waved at her as he set down a small plate full of apple slices and left Hondomachi’s hospital room. Hondomachi waved back as she chomped on more apple slices. 

The Perforator’s interrogation went surprisingly well, with Momoki and Matsuoka questioning him on his actions. He seemed to be content with what he had done, so he just answered as quickly as he could so that he could go back to his new prison cell in Kura Prison. Togo went to check his records for this man, and his name was Tamotsu Fukuda. 

“The house that was raided while the Perforator wasn’t home matched the ownership from the Fukuda household,” she said, “Was anyone supporting you or looking the other way?”

Fukuda didn’t say anything, ignoring her question by looking at the walls and ceiling around him. He just wanted to go check out his new cell that Kura was going to provide for him. Afterwards, they allowed Fukuda into Kura Prison, knowing the risks. 

They still haven’t found out what was causing the previous deaths, but they had another prisoner again. He could die just like the previous ones. Momoki scratched his head at that prospect, but they had to let him stay for the night. They couldn’t risk having the public know about their activities with most prisoners’ existence either confirmed dead or held on death row.

Based on their information, Fukuda was a strange serial killer. While the previous killers had relied on support and help from other people and their accomplices, he worked alone. The reason they had trouble capturing him was because of his usage of the many Italian restaurants that were all over Japan that held his activities. 

He was smarter than he had let out towards Kura.

“Does working alone really surprise you?” Fukuda asked, “You really think that I’m hiding something from you?”

Momoki didn’t say anything on that matter and sighed. For now, maybe it was best to just check up on him just like the previous prisoners and hope nothing goes wrong again. They would have to interrogate him on other information later. It was already good enough that he didn’t make a fuss or tried to resist revealing anything like the others, but they really don’t know anything about him.

They would have to wait for another time. Hondomachi’s rescue was a miracle and she managed to survive the drilling while Muku was not the chosen target this time. However, they still had little information on John Walker, due to the Perforator being a lone killer. They would have to check up on him again in the future.

“Never mind,” Momoki muttered back, looking down on Fukuda, “Go back to your cell.”

And Fukuda was sent back into his new Kura Prison cell.

A few nights later, Akihito came walking into Kura Prison to see the next serial killer. The dim lights of the prison cell corridor made the atmosphere dark and creepy, with many shadows lurking around the corners. Fukuda was looking up at the ceiling from his bare bed as he looked around him. From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure coming towards him.

Akihito leaned onto a wall across from him, glaring at him.

“So, you’re the Perforator, huh?”

Fukuda turned his head to see where the voice was coming from. A figure came into view, showing Akihito’s face more clearly. He did not seem pleased with this man at all.

“That’s what they call me? Just call me by my name. My name is Tamotsu Fukuda.”

Akihito didn’t say anything and continued to glare at him. His piercing gaze looked like he wanted to murder him, but there wasn’t any obvious methods from the looks of it. Akihito sighed for a moment before looking back at Fukuda. 

“Fukuda-san, what do you wish for?” Akihito asked, “Don’t you want to leave this world?”

Akihito’s words sounded sharp and brutal, yet strangely polite. Fukuda raised his eyebrow at his question. The two of them were staring at each other, with Akihito looking down on him.

“Well, I still have some wishes left. Do you _really_ want to know?”

Fukuda smiled back at Akihito, ignoring his blatant death glare. 

“You really want me to hear your last wishes, don’t you?” Akihito muttered, “After all, you probably will not see another day…”

“Sure. We can go with that,” Fukuda muttered back, sitting on top of his bed, “I would like to have someone who understands me. Someone who will accept my drilling.”

Akihito looked confused before scratching his head on what to do. This man didn’t seem like he was flinching or scared of him. Instead, it seemed like he was anticipating Akihito’s statements and answering them with his own feedback. He was ignoring the power dynamic between a prisoner and a police officer.

“What kind of messed up person would accept that?” Akihito replied, “No one will accept you. You are just a criminal. A serial killer.”

“That’s interesting coming from someone like you.”

Fukuda’s sudden words broke Akihito’s frontal attack, in which he tried to manipulate Fukuda into questioning himself and everything he had ever done. He had wanted Fukuda to coil in fear or try to argue with him before using his knowledge of their id wells to counter them. 

But this man seemed different. 

“What do you know about me, then?” Fukuda asked, “Did you see anything on my mind?”

Fukuda pointed with his right hand towards his head, which had a hole and stitched burnt scars. They were marked by a giant scar on the right side of his face. Akihito remained persistent and tried not to distract himself from Fukuda’s baiting statement.

“You think you are normal, but your mind is actually scattered around,” Akihito said, “Why would you go so far into taking innocent people into becoming a prisoner inside your home?”

“They’re not prisoners,” Fukuda answered, “I was just helping them.”

_What’s up with this man? He isn’t flinching._

Akihito thought for a moment on what to say. He was anticipating what to say next. This man wasn’t as easy as the previous killers. He seemed more intuitive and also didn’t seem to care about his fate now that he is stuck in Kura Prison. 

“Helping them?” Akihito answered back, “All you did was murder them and shortened their lifespan!”

“Come on, don’t be so rude,” Fukuda said, “I was just helping them just like how I helped myself before. I wanted to fix them so that they could be normal.”

_Normal?! What is this guy thinking? Drilling a hole into people’s skulls isn’t normal…_

“You’re really a lost cause, aren’t you?” Akihito muttered, “It is better for you to disappear off of this world and go somewhere else. That way, you could be happy. There is no hope and a future for you here.”

Fukuda snickered at Akihito’s remark, as if laughing about his guesses about him. He might actually have a motive or plan after all. He wasn’t unlike the other serial killers that he had seen in the previous cases, but he was just as cunning. 

This man seems like he won’t go down easily…

“Well then, how about I say the same for you, Tantei- _kun_ ,” Fukuda said, “It was about time that I gave you a formality than you just berating me with your questions, officer. Are you also a lost cause? Do you need some healing?”

Akihito remained silent, unsure of what Fukuda just said. He would have to let him continue speaking, seeing what he was up to. 

“Tantei-kun, where are all the other prisoners? What happened to them?”

Akihito didn’t say a word on that.

“Maybe you’re just the same as me after all. The only difference is that you are doing it under the law instead of outside of the law. Other than that, you are the same as me.”

“What are you talking about?” Akihito exclaimed, “I’m _not_ one of you! You are just a filthy serial killer, murdering innocent people for selfish reasons. Don’t you _dare_ compare yourself to me.”

“That’s a surprising reaction from someone who doesn’t believe that they’re not a killer,” Fukuda muttered, “What happened to other prisoners here anyway? Did _you_ kill them?”

Akihito felt cornered. He never felt like he could lose to a serial killer before, but it was happening in front of his eyes. This man was not easily intimidated, making him harder to persuade. This sudden preposition also was unexpected, as he didn’t expect Fukuda to say that he was also a serial killer.

The idea sounded too ridiculous to him. He _hated_ serial killers. He was _not_ one of them. 

Akihito slammed his fist at the wall next to him. It looks like this conversation would go nowhere at this point. He would have to try again another time. For the first time, a serial killer did not go along with his persuasion tactics. The Perforator would not be an easy man that can die like all the others. 

“Fukuda-san,” Akihito muttered under his breath, glaring back at Fukuda, “I’ll see you next time.”

And he quickly rushed out of Kura Prison as he prepared to pack his documents and work before he went home. 

Meanwhile, inside the security room on the first floor, someone was watching Akihito rush out of Kura Prison. He scratched his chin as the others in the security room asked him if he needed anything else. With a sigh, he gestured towards the nearby security guard about the files on hand for Kura Prison. 

“Matsuoka-san, everything has been prepared for you.”

Matsuoka took the files from the guard’s hands and looked back at the screens. Watching Akihito’s movements after work from the security room has finally paid off. 

He can now properly suspect Akihito for the serial killer’s deaths inside Kura Prison from the previous cases. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! Holiday season and also a break was needed. :)  
> I also was going to revive an old Zelda fanfiction too as well so it will update along with this series.  
> Hope both of them will be decent and entertaining! :D  
> Comments are greatly appreciated.  
> (Cooldown chapter next)


End file.
